A Time of Flares and Shadows
by Magnificent Mega Ampharos
Summary: Serena has adjusted to her life as Kalos League Champion and university student. However, a threat she thought was dealt with three years ago is returning - and this time, fighting back means greater risks and sacrifices. Rated T for violence and language.
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone! This is my first attempt at fanfiction in . . . a long time. I'm having lots of fun writing this story, and I hope you enjoy! Reviews and constructive criticism are always appreciated.

* * *

**ONE**

The central lawn at the Université de Kalos was the place to be on a cool, sunny autumn afternoon. Students were taking breaks from studying and classes to hang out with friends and play with their Pokemon. On this day in particular, a throng of people – students and faculty alike – had gathered to watch a match between a student and her friend.

"Fire Blast!" called the student to her Charizard, pointing aggressively to her opponent's Absol. Charizard obeyed, inhaling deeply before shooting out the five-pointed formation of fire from its mouth. The attack enveloped Absol, who managed to stand its ground until the flames dissipated, but then collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

"Absol, return!" the Absol's trainer called as he held out a Pokeball. Absol dematerialized into a stream of white light, shrinking back into the ball.

"Serena wins!" cried out a young man nearby, jumping up and down as high as his feet could propel his rotund body.

The crowd cheered and applauded. Ignoring the noise, Serena recalled her Charizard and crossed the battle space to her opponent.

"Good match as always, Calem," she said, patting him on the shoulder.

"You too," said Calem, tossing his head back to get a lock of black hair out of his face. "Of course, I'm secretly taking notes on your battle style. I will beat you one day."

"Keep telling yourself that!" joked Serena.

Before Calem could say anything else, a petite young woman dressed in a pink shirt came up and threw her arms around his neck. "You did great!" she said to him. He returned the embrace.

"Thanks, Shauna," he said.

After hugging him for a few seconds, Shauna broke free and turned to Serena. "You were great as always, Serena!"

"Thanks! I – whoa!" Serena felt someone grab her by the arm and yank her away from her friends. She soon found herself in the midst of her admirers, who were taking pictures of themselves with her and asking for autographs. She obliged everyone gracefully, as she had become so good at over the past three years, but then broke free of the group after a few minutes.

"Hey guys, can I have, like, ten minutes alone with my friends?" she asked the crowd before grabbing Shauna by the hand and running for the student union. Calem wasn't too far behind them.

Serena, Shauna, and Calem secluded themselves in a corner of the student union, at a table on the opposite side of the room from the wall with the high windows. The three of them were soon joined by Trevor and Tierno.

"Just another day in the life of the Champion, I suppose," sighed Serena as she twirled some of her blonde hair between her fingers. "Do you think it's too late for me to enroll at Hoenn University and go there with you two?" she asked, looking between Calem and Trevor.

"You can't go to Hoenn too, Serena!" cried Shauna.

"I'm only going to be gone for a few months," Calem reminded Shauna. He and Shauna were sitting next to each other, and his arm was draped over the back of her chair.

"And I'm going to work on the Pokedex," said Trevor. "Besides, Serena, if you're serious about concentrating on Pokemon type classifications, Kalos is the place to be. The Fairy Type was discovered here after all."

"I know . . . maybe once I become a boring scientist the media will lose interest in me," said Serena hopefully.

"They haven't lost interest since you started going here," said Tierno.

"I'm probably expected to be a wild college girl and get in all sorts of trouble, though . . . anyway, Calem, who's the guy you're training with in Hoenn?"

"His name's Steven Stone, and I'll have you know he's the –" Calem's sentence was cut off as the familiar obnoxious beeping that preceded a Holo Caster message sounded off. All five of them looked into their bags to see if it was theirs going off; only Serena's was lighting up in addition to making noise.

"Please don't be a journalist," she mumbled before hitting the ANSWER button. A holographic line shot up from the silvery circle in the middle of the device, and from there fanned out until it assumed the miniature shape of a face Serena didn't mind seeing.

_"Hello Serena!" _the holographic Augustine Sycamore greeted her jovially. _"How are you doing?"_

"I'm well, thank you," said Serena. "We're all hanging out here on campus!" The other four took their turns greeting Sycamore, and he greeted them in turn.

"Professor, I leave on the boat from Coumarine on Tuesday, right?" Trevor asked.

_"That's right. It'll be at nine o'clock, bright and early,"_ Sycamore reminded him.

"Okay. That's what I thought," said Trevor.

_"Make us all proud, Trevor. I know you will. Anyway, Serena . . . I'm planning an experiment for my current Mega Evolution study, and I was wondering if you would like to help me with it."_Sycamore continued, gesticulating with his right hand as he usually did.

"Of course! Fall Break starts tomorrow, so I have plenty of free time," said Serena.

_"Wonderful! If you're free tonight, meet me at Café Soleil at seven so we can discuss it."_

"Okay. I'll be there." Serena responded.

_"Très bien!"_ Sycamore flashed a smile before his holographic image folded in on itself and shrunk down to the base of the Holo Caster.

Serena stashed the Holo Caster back into her bag, and then looked at her watch. Five thirty.

"I need to leave now to make it back into town on time," she announced before standing up.

"You're not eager for this or anything, are you?" asked Shauna knowingly.

"Why wouldn't I be? It's science! I like science. I'm eager for science and scientific progress and . . . stuff. Of a scientific nature," said Serena as she felt her cheeks warm up.

"Even if you were going to talk to that curmudgeonly old lady who teaches your physiology class?" continued Shauna.

"Of course!" Serena blurted out, certain now that her face was the same shade of pink as her hat. "I gotta go. Catch you guys later." She then dashed out of the student union, past a small group who only realized who she was once she had cleared the doors.

Back at the table, Shauna was telling everyone that it should only take an hour and a half to get from campus to Café Soleil if one wanted to stop by their apartment and freshen up first.

* * *

At seven o'clock that evening, Serena found herself outside the entrance to Café Soleil. She had gone back to her apartment and changed into her gray tie-neck blouse and matching skirt, telling herself that it was a more professional look for a meeting about academic matters. However, she had looked at herself in the mirror before leaving, just to affirm how cute she looked in that outfit.

She peered through the large windows of the café to see if he was in there, but there was no sign of the professor. The only patrons of Soleil at the moment were a group of five people huddled around a tablet as they talked fervently about something. She spent time watching this group, although she couldn't hear what they were saying. One man, who was wearing sunglasses with red frames, exuded passion as he spoke and pointed at figures on the tablet that were undiscernible to Serena from her vantage point.

She soon felt someone tap her on the shoulder, and she turned her head to see who it was.

"Professor, hello!" said Serena, a smile breaking out on her face.

"Bonjour, mon amie," replied Augustine Sycamore. "Are you still doing well?"

"Yeah, I am," said Serena, completely turning her body to face him. "You?"

"No complaints," said Augustine. "Shall we?" He gestured to the entrance of the café, and the two of them entered together.

While Augustine ordered coffee, Serena claimed a table for two in the corner, on the opposite side of the restaurant from the group of five. Even as she walked past them on her way in, she had no idea what they were discussing, as they all spoke in whispers and hushed voices. She kept her eye on the man in sunglasses until Augustine came up to her, a cup of coffee in each hand.

"A latte for you," he said, placing the cream-colored beverage on the table in front of Serena.

"Thank you, Professor," Serena said gratefully. She looked down at her drink, and saw that the barista had used the milk floating on top to draw a Fletchling.

"Please, call me Augustine," he said as he sat down. "You're no longer my student. You're my friend and a colleague now."

"I don't know, that's going to take some getting used to," said Serena before she took a sip of her drink.

"Well, with practice, I'm sure you'll manage." Augustine smirked.

Serena was ready to ask about the experiment, but she found herself distracted by Augustine: that crooked smirk of his, those blue-grey eyes, his brilliant wavy black hair that she had often fantasized about running her fingers through . . . .

"Ah – uh – anyway, _Augustine_, what is this experiment?" she stammered, after mentally comparing the color of his eyes to some of the shades of blue and gray found in her Charizard's Mega Stone.

Augustine chuckled. "It's nothing groundbreaking, really, just data collection.

"When you Mega Evolve your Pokemon, they become stronger, right? To the naked eye, it appears that attacks have more power and cause more damage in battle. I want to attempt to quantify differences in attack power between a standard, unaffected Pokemon and that same Pokemon when it has Mega Evolved. I called you because you're the best Trainer I know and you have three Pokemon capable of Mega Evolution."

"I do?" asked Serena, reviewing the members of her team in her head. Charizard could definitely Mega Evolve, and so could Lucario, but she couldn't think of a third.

"You didn't know Ampharos could Mega Evolve, did you?" continued Augustine. "No worries. I recently got my hands on an Ampharosite, which rounds out my collections of one of each known Mega Stone."

"Amphie'll be excited," said Serena. She took a sip of her coffee, and then noticed that the man in red sunglasses was standing at the counter, waiting for the barista to make his drink.

"Are you going to sample more Pokemon besides mine?" she inquired.

"If I get good results from your Pokemon, I'll call Diantha and have her bring in Gardevoir. I'll call Calem once he comes back from Hoenn. Korrina as well, and if things go really well I'll put out an advertisement for any Trainer with a qualifying Pokemon to come in," explained Augustine.

"There'd be some compensation, I assume," continued Serena.

"Naturally," replied Augustine.

"How much am I being compensated?" asked Serena playfully.

"Oh I don't know . . . I think your coffee cost 50 Pokedollars . . . ."

"So you'll just take everyone else out for coffee." Serena said with mock skepticism.

"Non, Serena. I merely wanted the pleasure of your company tonight. I could have easily explained this experiment in the lab before we did it." When he finished speaking, Augustine flashed a small, crooked smile at her, and she instantly felt that there were Butterfrees in her stomach.

"This is rather nice, isn't it?" said Serena. "Sitting in a quiet café, talking about research, no paparazzi following me around campus trying to figure out every little detail about me, and some one-on-one time with my favorite professor."

"You flatter me, mademoiselle," said Augustine as he rubbed the back of his head. At the same time, a light blush rose on his pale cheeks.

"But worry not. The results of the election will be in later tonight, and the news is too focused on that to care about where Kalos's darling Champion is right now and what she's doing."

"That's tonight?!" Serena blurted out. "Shoot! I was going to watch that!"

"I'm sorry," said Augustine uncertainly. "Perhaps we can run over to the lab really quick and –"

"Don't worry about it," said Serena. "I'll find out anyway, won't I?"

"That is true, I suppose."

From there, their conversations turned to small talk: the latest lab gossip about two interns, a mischievous Froakie that nobody seemed to be able to tame, and the end of midterms at the university. When her stomach began to growl, Serena got up and ordered sandwiches for her and Augustine, giving the two something to eat for dinner and an excuse to stay and talk longer. Somewhere in there, the group of five sitting at the front of the café left.

"It's half past nine," Augustine announced as he checked his watch. "We should probably get going. I want you well rested for testing tomorrow."

The two of them left Café Soleil and made their way down Vernal Avenue. Prism Tower stood proudly in the center of the city, brilliantly lit up against the dark night sky.

"Where did you say your apartment was again?" asked Augustine when the two of them arrived in Centrico Plaza. They stood still for a moment to admire the tower, whose color scheme was alternating between red, blue, and its standard white.

"Just off Estival Avenue," answered Serena.

"If I had known that, I'd have picked a closer café!" jested Augustine.

What followed was the familiar beeping of the Holo Caster. Serena pulled hers out of her bag, and Augustine pulled his from his pocket. Both were going off, and both had messages from Malva. Tonight, she was sitting behind her desk, preparing to give a news update.

"_We now bring you this important new bulletin. The votes are in, they have been counted . . . and the new Governor of Kalos is Alexandre Teleurac."_

Other people out in the plaza could be heard shouting for joy or crying in disappointment.

"That's a bummer," muttered Augustine.

"_Mr. Teleurac is here with me now, and he would like to give a brief address."_

The Holo Caster's camera turned from Malva to the man sitting next to her: he was bald, with a gold earring in one ear, and a self-satisfied smile on his face.

"_Greetings, citizens of Kalos. Thank you for choosing me as your governor for the next term. And to my opponent, Madame Claire Pontmercy. . . well played, and better luck next time."_ His voice was smooth, with a bit of a low rumble to it.

"_Over the next four years, I hope to change Kalos for the better. This will include addressing income inequality that is so rampant in areas of Lumiose City, our depleting natural resources, dwindling habitats for Pokemon as we humans expand our territory, and new sources of energy to power our lives. There are no easy answers to these questions, but over the next four years I hope to have these problems solved for as many people and Pokemon as I can. Thank you, Kalos. I look forward to serving you."_

The Holo Casters switched off. Serena and Augustine stood there in awkward silence, both mulling over what Teleurac had just said.

"I didn't vote for him, but . . . he sounds nice," said Serena tentatively.

Augustine shook his head. "You know very well that nice words and thoughts don't always translate into nice actions."


	2. Chapter 2

**THREE**

The next day, Serena slept in and woke up to a Holo Cast message from her mother. Grace had called to see how midterms had gone, and to ask her daughter's opinion about Teleurac and his new policies. Serena told herself to call her mother back later before she rose from bed and changed into her red-and-black dress.

With Eevee walking alongside her on a leash, Serena left the apartment to go to the Berry Juice shop. At the counter, she let Eevee pick out two berries for his drink, and then drank the resulting colorful shake happily. She ordered two more shakes for Eevee, her ears catching two people in line behind her conversing about their cab ride to the shop. ("That poor driver, suddenly getting laid off from his job!")

Serena and Eevee left the Berry Juice shop once Eevee indicated that he was full, and turned to go down to North Boulevard. The two of them strolled down the street; Eevee greeted a Skiddo that was curled up underneath a tree, and Serena looked around, watching people go about their business. There also seemed to be more police officers out and about than usual; one of them was leaning into the open window of a blue cab, telling the driver that after today he would no longer be driving his cab and instead would be in charge of Gogoat shuttle handling.

As the two of them passed a café, something went _crash_ in a nearby alleyway. Serena bent down, scooped Eevee up in her arms, and dashed to the entrance of the alley. She looked to see that a metal trashcan had been knocked over, rolling lazily on the ground, while another form was lying next to it.

She stepped into the alleyway and walked towards the trash can, Eevee snuggling into her chest for protection. It didn't take long for her to get close enough to see that a man was sprawled out on the ground, not too far from the trashcan. He was perhaps in his mid-twenties; his face was covered in scratches and bite marks, his clothing was singed, and the fabric of the shirt over his right shoulder was completely gone, revealing a spot that was red, pink, and slightly bloody.

"Are you all right?" Serena dropped to her knees by the man's head. She grabbed a Pokeball off her belt and used it to recall Eevee.

The man moaned in pain.

"I'll take that as a no . . . let's get you to a hospital." She reached down, snaked her arms under the man's body and hooked him under his armpits before slowly standing up and turning him so that one of his arms draped around her shoulders.

"The police," breathed the man.

"We can call them too," said Serena reassuringly, walking with him in tow.

"No . . . they did this."

Serena halted. "What?"

"Yes . . . I was arrested yesterday . . . they set some Houndour on me."

Disbelief and disgust rose up inside Serena. "They don't do that!" she snapped.

"They do now. And they took my Pokemon. Name's Bernard, by the way."

"I'm Serena . . . Bernard? Were you the one they arrested yesterday for 'disturbing the peace?'"

"If you call telling a policeman that these new policy changes are unfair 'disturbing the peace,' then yeah" quipped Bernard, his voice still weak.

Serena half-dragged Bernard to Lumiose Hospital, a three-story building located next door to the North Boulevard Pokemon Center. While he was seeing a doctor and having his wounds cleaned up, she sat in a waiting room, which was currently occupied by one other person who had her face buried in a fashion magazine. The television in the corner of the room was playing a rerun of an old sitcom, and Serena passed the time by watching that until Bernard reappeared. There were bandages all over his face, wrapped around his head, covering his right shoulder, and up and down his arms. Some of the bandages were already stained red from blood. The gash on his forehead had been sewn shut.

"Are you good to go?" Serena asked him as she stood up to move to his side.

"Yeah . . . I can go home on my own. Thanks for bringing me here," said Bernard. He readjusted the bandage on his head so it lay on top of his dark hair rather than bare skin at the nape of his neck.

"Don't you want your Pokemon back?" Serena continued.

"Yeah, but . . . I don't want to go back there. It's not a big deal, anyway. The new chief of police is terrifying."

"I'll go talk to them for you, then," offered Serena.

"I don't see what good it'd do, but okay. Whatever."

* * *

"I'm sorry, Miss Carlyle, but I can't release Mr. Lecroux's Pokemon to you."

Serena went on to the Lumiose police station after making sure Bernard got a cab ride home. She went in and spoke to the chief of police herself: Alison Renshaw, a redheaded middle-aged woman who kept an ashtray on her desk and smelled horribly of cigarette smoke.

"Why not?" asked Serena.

"Because you are not Mr. Lecroux," said Renshaw, as if she was explaining to Serena that things got wet when it rained. "If he really wanted his Pokemon back, he would have come to get them himself."

"He's terrified to come back here after what _your_ force's Houndour squad did to him! It's not fair of you to expect that from him." Serena half-shouted, leaning forward and planting her hands on the desk.

Renshaw leaned back in her chair and folded her hands in her lap. "Life isn't fair, Miss Carlyle. Mr. Lecroux learned his lesson, hopefully. If he does not want to cooperate to make our society a better place, he won't be able to enjoy certain privileges . . . like keeping Pokemon. Everyone else will learn from his example. And if I didn't know any better . . . you may need an extra lesson yourself. I don't care if you're the Champion and you heroically saved Kalos from Team Flare three years ago. You are not exempt from the rules and you cannot retrieve an offender's confiscated property for him."

"They're Pokemon, not property." Serena snapped. Renshaw shrugged in response.

"I'm sorry I wasted your time, Chief," said Serena, repressing the urge to yell again. She turned around and stormed out of Renshaw's office.

* * *

Before the cab had gone off with Bernard, Serena had overheard his address. After leaving the police station, she caught a cab and rode to that location, a small apartment building on South Boulevard.

She stepped inside the lobby of the building, noticing the peeling wallpaper and thinking that this place had seen better days. Along the wall were the mailboxes; she saw the back of a man at his mailbox, the white bandages on his head and arms contrasting with his olive skin and dark hair.

"Bernard!" she called out to him.

Bernard jumped, then turned around to see Serena.

"I'm sorry, but . . . the chief will only release your Pokemon to you," lamented Serena as she approached him.

Bernard sighed. His gaze remained downcast, and Serena could see his eyes expressing the internal battle he was having at the moment.

"Well, thanks for trying," he murmured. "Would you like something to drink? My apartment's on this floor here, the first one on the left when you enter the hall."

"That sounds lovely, but I have to go run some errands I've been putting off all day," said Serena, thinking about the going-away party that night.

"Wha – I'm sorry I kept you from those," apologized Bernard.

"No, don't worry! You're more important than my silly grocery list. But here," Serena pulled a scrap of paper and pen out of her bag and scribbled on it before handing it to Bernard. "This is my Holo Caster contact information. Call me if you need anything else at all."

Bernard's mouth formed a faint, sad smile. _"Merci beaucoup."_

Serena smiled back. "Go get some rest, Bernard."

She then left that apartment building, opting to walk back to her own apartment since no cabs were available and letting Eevee back out to walk alongside her. While walking, she replayed the conversation with Chief Renshaw in her head – and then realized that this was perhaps the first time she remembered a minor offender's Pokemon had been taken by the police. It was also unlike the police to have their Houndour squad brutalize detainees. Above all, Renshaw's red hair was too bright for Serena's comfort . . . .

She wondered if Team Flare was slowly making a comeback, but she then pushed that out of her mind, telling herself the whole notion was ridiculous. The Lumiose police may be corrupt, but that did not at all put them on the same level as the organization who tried to destroy the world to make it more beautiful.


	3. Chapter 3

**FOUR**

The going-away party for Calem and Trevor was held in Augustine's office at the laboratory, just as Shauna had said. When Serena walked in, the first thing that caught her attention was how _clean_ the office was: books were actually in shelves instead of lying in haphazard stacks on the floor, paintings were hanging on the wall instead of merely propped up, and it smelled like lavender – mostly because there were a few sprigs of lavender in a vase on the windowsill. His desk was not covered in papers or computers, but trays of finger foods and a few bottles of wine in an ice bucket.

Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor were hanging out next to a long shelf along the wall, examining the collection of round colorful stones arranged there. Calem and his parents were talking with Augustine; Calem stood off to the side awkwardly while his parents discussed a framed magazine hanging on the wall. This magazine, "Newsweek: Kalos" was from three years ago; the front cover depicted Serena and her friends, standing tall and proud next to one another with a title that read "Champions and Heroes: How Five Youths Toppled Team Flare (and Took the Pokemon League by Storm)."

"Yes, Madame Dupont, I am very proud of your son," Augustine was saying to Calem's mother. He was wearing a white dress shirt, an indigo tie, and a gray waistcoat with gray slacks. Serena didn't remember the last time she saw the professor wear something other than his oversized lab coat, and she stopped at the partition for a moment, taken aback by how good he looked. Of course, he still wore those red socks, even with dress shoes.

"Ah, you must be Mademoiselle Serena!" Calem's father was the first to notice Serena's arrival. Everyone else's heads snapped around to face her; while Calem's face fell a little, Augustine's lit up.

"The one and only!" Serena strode over to Monsieur Dupont, smoothing out the skirt of her dress as she did. Once she was close enough to him, Monsieur Dupont took her by the shoulders and kissed her once on both cheeks in a customary Kalosian greeting.

"It is good to finally meet you," said Monsieur Dupont. "Calem talks about you frequently."

"Does he say good things?" asked Serena.

"Mostly," said Calem congenially, smiling as he tried to hide his feeling that he would no longer be the center of attention at his own party.

Serena then turned to greet Calem's mother in the same manner, then went to give all of her friends brief hugs. Calem's parents kept Serena by their side as long as they could, talking at her about her fame and notoriety as the Champion, and how she just _had_ to battle them sometime. Serena nodded and agreed politely to meet their challenges next time they met. When the Duponts began to reminisce about their younger days as Trainers, Serena slinked away and joined Augustine at his desk.

"Professor," she said with a smile. When she breathed in, she caught a whiff of his cologne: sandalwood, mixed with a hint of cinnamon. The scent delighted her senses.

Augustine smiled back at her.

"Hello Serena . . . you look nice," he said, a small blush rising on his cheeks.

"So do you," she returned. "How'd the inspection go?"

Augustine sighed. "Care for a drink?"

"That bad, huh?"

"_Non_, not bad, just . . . irritating." Augustine picked up a bottle of red wine out of the bucket, uncorked it, and poured some of the deep red liquid into two glasses. "I never knew a government agency could form so fast . . . I guess Teleurac prearranged everything, anticipating he would win." He handed a glass to Serena, and held the other in his hand. "Anyway, this overbearing woman comes in, criticizes the light fixtures we have, tells us to get new windows – and to figure out what's nonessential in the laboratory and get rid of it, because we're apparently the second largest drain on energy in Lumiose!" He knocked back a gulp of wine. "Everything here's essential!"

"Did you tell her that?" asked Serena before taking a sip of her own wine.

"Of course I did. She didn't heed what I had to say, so I get to decide which department of research is getting shut down. At the very least, I won't be calling Diantha for my experiment."

"Serena!" Shauna called. "Have you seen the Professor's Mega Stone collection?"

She migrated over to her friends, and looked down the line at the Mega Stones on the shelf.

"Those are all of the known Mega Stones," Augustine commented as he watched his former students examine them. "Minus Ampharosite, of course, but that one is in very capable hands." He winked at Serena.

For the time that followed, Serena interacted with her friends and helped herself to the food and wine. Trevor went on about how excited he was to work with Professor Birch, Calem discussed the Gym Leaders he would be facing in Hoenn and what he could learn from the region's former Champion (while glancing at Shauna occasionally), Shauna went on and on about all the things that she and Serena needed to do in the near future, and Tierno showed off a new dance routine he had been working on with his Pokemon. Calem's parents alternated between interacting with their son and his friends, and talking to Augustine about his research. Serena listened passively, asking a question or two to keep conversations going, but thoughts about Bernard and Chief Renshaw kept resurfacing in her mind. Before she knew it, she had returned to the desk for her third glass of wine.

"Is something on your mind, Serena?" Augustine's voice came from behind her. He had no doubt seen the troubled expression on her face that she tried to hide from everyone else.

"No," Serena said quickly, turning to face him. Noting the concern in his eyes, she felt tempted to confess the truth.

"All right, if you say so." He reached past her, plucking a bottle of champagne from the ice bucket. He opened it, poured the contents into eight champagne glasses, and went around the room distributing the glasses to everyone.

"If I may have your attention everyone," his voice rang out. "At this time I would like to propose a toast to Trevor and Calem. Trevor, as we know, will be representing Sycamore Laboratories in Hoenn as he studies regional differences between Pokemon found in both Hoenn and Kalos with a colleague of mine, Professor Birch. Trevor's a young man after my own heart, with a keen scientific mind and a thirst for knowledge. He'll do well there. And Calem is one of the most gifted trainers I have had the privilege to teach: always striving to be better than he was the day before. I expect great things from him too, and he could not have picked a finer region for training abroad."

Everyone said "Cheers!" in rough unison, raised their glasses to Calem and Trevor, and drank their champagne.

"Thanks Professor," said Calem. "I have something to say." He turned to Shauna.

"Shauna . . . timing's really awful, isn't it? I've picked now of all times to let you steal my heart, right before I'm about to leave for three months. But when I get back . . . would you want to officially go out with me?"

Tierno gasped softly.

Shauna nodded fervently. "Yes!" she squealed, throwing her arms around Calem. He returned the embrace, and everyone else clapped.

Even in heels, Serena was still a head shorter than Augustine, so she raised herself up on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. "I knew it."

Augustine chuckled and patted her on the shoulder.

Suddenly, two Holo Casters started ringing. Calem and Trevor checked their pockets and pulled their Holo Casters out to check the messages they had received.

_"Good evening! This is the Kalos Transportation Service. We regret to inform you that your voyage from Coumarine City to Slateport City that was scheduled for nine o'clock on Tuesday morning has been postponed. All of our ships have been temporarily appropriated by the Department of Environmental Sustainability and are undergoing renovations to become more energy-efficient. We will let you know once your departure has been rescheduled. Please accept our sincerest apologies."_

Both Calem and Trevor groaned.

"They can't do that . . . can they?" Tierno questioned.

"Yeah, that's . . . odd," Serena added.

"We can fly on Altaria to Hoenn, Trevor," suggested Calem.

"Hoenn's too far away. Don't put that stress on your Pokemon," Augustine objected. "I'll call Birch in the morning and tell him what has happened."

Serena noticed that Shauna slipped her hand into Calem's and squeezed it in reassurance. Although she had no idea why this was happening now, thoughts about Team Flare returned. Lysandre's face, his eyes blazing with the same fury and madness that had provided plenty of nightmare fuel over the past three years, made its way into her mind's eye.

"Are you sure nothing's wrong?" Augustine had leaned over so he could address her quietly. Serena then noticed that her hand was gripping the desk's edge so hard that her knuckles were turned white.

"I, uh, just realized that I forgot to feed Eevee." Serena said hastily, setting her glass down. "I need to get going. It was a great party. Call me to reschedule lunch sometime." She gave speedy good-byes to her friends and Calem's parents before bolting to the elevator.

* * *

Back at her apartment, Serena changed out of her party dress into a sleeveless shirt, a hoodie, jeans, and sneakers: all black. She tied her hair back into a ponytail as well.

On her way back, she had stopped by a Pokemon Center and withdrew her Haunter. She had once considered making this Haunter a permanent member of her main team, but put it off just in case a better Ghost-type came along. The prospective Ghost-type never did, and she forgot all about it while she was chasing Team Flare around Lumiose City and Geosenge. Tonight, however, she counted on Haunter to help her with her plan.

She threw up her hood and looked at herself in the mirror, realizing that while her hair was concealed her face was not. The first thing that came to mind was her black scarf, which she had found for cheap at Anistar's boutique and did not wear very often anyway. She tied it around the bottom half of her face to hide her nose and mouth.

Keeping in mind that she would look odd and suspicious walking down the hallways of the apartment building dressed like this, Serena opened the window that faced the inside of an alleyway and climbed out of it, down two stories, and onto the street. From there, she slunk through the town's alleys and back roads until she reached the police station. Lights were on inside, contrasting against the silhouettes of officers inside the building, sitting at their desks and moving around the space.

Serena approached the station from the side, sidling alongside the wall and noting the window next to her head. A stray Skiddo trotted by; once it was gone, she pulled a Pokeball from her belt and released Haunter.

"Haunter," she spoke in a whisper, "Go inside and use Hypnosis on everyone. They all need to be asleep."

Haunter nodded in understanding and floated to the wall, phasing through into the station. Serena watched from the window as all of the people inside fell to the floor and slumped over as they were affected by Hypnosis.

Serena then pushed the window open and climbed through it, landing right next to a man who was fast asleep on the floor.

"Haunter, keep watch. Use Hypnosis on anyone that comes in." she ordered.

She then pulled open every box, cabinet, and drawer she could find, digging through them frantically until realizing that what she was looking for was not in this area. She then rounded the corner to Renshaw's office; luckily, the police chief was not there. Serena went through all of the cabinets and shelves in the office until she found a box labeled "Contraband" underneath the desk. Inside this box was a brown belt with four Pokeballs affixed to it. The belt was tagged "Bernard Lecroux."

Serena grabbed the belt and sprinted out of the office. "Let's go Haunter," she said to her Pokemon before hopping out of the window from which she entered.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hi, everyone! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

To address a question from a reviewer: I always assumed that Lysandre died when the ultimate weapon/Flare HQ caved in towards the end of the game. So in this story he is dead, gone, pushing up the daisies, etc.

* * *

**FIVE**

Serena woke up the next morning to the sound of her beeping Holo Caster. She rolled over onto her stomach, stuck her arm out, and felt around on her nightstand until her hand landed on the device. She pressed the "Answer" button.

"You have three new messages." The automated voice of the Holo Caster said. "First message."

"_Breaking news. Last night around nine-thirty, there was a break-in at the Lumiose Police Station. Surveillance cameras caught footage of a hooded, masked person with a Haunter putting those inside the station to sleep via Hypnosis, and then ransacking the entire station until removing an unidentified object from the collection of contraband. Citizens are asked to keep an eye out for suspicious activity and report it at once to the police."_

Serena chortled at the fact that her exploits made the news. She also felt a twinge of panic, wondering if the cameras caught enough of her exposed face to show it was her.

"Next message," said the Holo Caster.

"_Serena, it's Bernard. The police stopped by my apartment this morning – I guess they figured out that my Pokemon were what the thief took from the station last night. I told them I didn't know anything and that I hadn't seen my Pokemon since I was arrested. It was so nerve-wracking. What am I supposed to do? I can't move back to Laverre, not since I got laid off from my job at the factory, and it would look bad if I suddenly left town. Do you think you could find out who took my Pokemon and why? I know it's a lot to ask of you, since you've already done so much for me, but I know you're capable of sleuthing around. Talk to you later, I guess."_

"Next message."

_"Come by the lab today, Serena. We need to talk. You may be able to fool your friends into thinking everything's all right with you, but you can't hide anything from me."_

Serena rose to a sitting position, cursing Augustine under her breath as she did. She glanced over to the Holo Caster just in time to see his holographic image shrink back into the device, and the automated voice say "End of new messages." She got out of bed, showered until the water shut off on her, and got dressed. She went into the kitchen, saw that the inside of her refrigerator was practically bare, and resolved to get a Galette for breakfast on her way to the lab.

Before leaving, she recorded and sent a message to Bernard:

_"Hey Bernard, this is Serena. I already have a hunch as to who took your Pokemon, but I'm not going to say over this message. There's something else I need to take care of first, and then I'll drop by and tell you everything."_

* * *

With Eevee scampering along by her side, Serena walked from North to South Boulevard while munching on her Galette and wondering what she was going to say to Augustine. Telling him about Bernard seemed like both a good and bad idea: other people needed to know that something was up with the police, but how would he react if she told him that she was the one who broke into the police station the previous night?

After observing that there was barely anyone out and about this morning, something red caught her eye. She looked to the side, and what she saw made her stomach lurch. There were two people dressed in red suits in an alley, both wearing sunglasses, loading crates into the back of a van. One of them would glance out to the street on occasion, as if to make sure nobody was seeing them. A man and his son were about to pass by, and that suited person turned to his companion and said something Serena couldn't understand.

The two people in red hopped into the back of the van, closed the door behind themselves, and the van drove off into the alley. Serena reached down and scooped Eevee up in her arms (dropping the remains of her Galette on the ground in the process) and sprinted towards that alleyway, taking care to leap out of the way of an oncoming Gogoat. She wound through the alley, past knocked over trashcans and two Trainers having a quick match, listening to the best of her ability for the sounds of the van's engine. Once the sound of the van driving away was lost, she slowed to a stop and looked around, her heart racing and her breath labored.

It made no sense, she told herself. Any reason for Team Flare's existence ended three years ago, with the destruction of the weapon under Geosenge and Lysandre's death. They would be nothing without their fierce, charismatic, passionate leader. Yet Serena knew that regular delivery vans would not go through alleyways to their destination, and nobody else wore suits in that exact shade of red.

* * *

The elevator that took her up to Augustine's office moved too quickly for Serena's taste. The whole ride up, she had held Eevee close to her chest for comfort, trying to focus on the feeling of the Pokemon's soft fur under her fingertips rather than the dread building up inside of her.

When the doors to the elevator opened, she stepped out tentatively, took two steps, and stopped when she saw Augustine plucking a book out of a bookshelf. He looked up towards the elevator, and immediately set that same book back in its place.

"It's about time you got here," he said grimly as he crossed the distance between them.

"Good morning to you too," she replied.

Augustine extended his hand to scratch Eevee on the top of his head; Eevee purred in delight. "Won't take long for this little guy to evolve," he commented as his mouth curled into a little smile. His eyes darted up to meet Serena's gaze, and that smile quickly faded.

"Serena, now that we're in a more private setting, do you mind telling me what's going on?" asked Augustine, gesturing for her to follow him around the partition to his desk. Once there, he leaned back against it and folded his arms across his chest.

"Uh . . . well . . . ." Serena bent down and released Eevee from her hold. Before she could invent some academic woes or a random crush on Calem, she took one look into his eyes and saw the concern and irritation there.

"It's the police," she spilled. "They usually don't use their Houndour to attack people, do they?"

"This is about the man who 'disturbed the peace' a couple of days ago, isn't it?" inquired Augustine.

Serena crossed her arms as well. "Bernard? Yeah. It was a cruel thing to do, you know? All he did was talk back to a police officer. It's not like he killed anyone. He shouldn't have been attacked, and his Pokemon shouldn't have been confiscated."

Augustine sighed. "_Je sais, mon amie. _Teleurac campaigned on a platform of fixing Kalos's problems . . . he should start with that police force. Unless he is in the business of eroding our civil rights –" His facial expression suddenly changed, as if he had a sudden realization about something unpleasant.

"The police station . . . that wasn't you, was it?" he asked her urgently.

"They had no right to do that to him," Serena said firmly.

Augustine groaned. "Why? I thought your days of recklessness were behind you! You're an adult – think about your education and your friends – and your mother!" His hands flew out, gripping her by the shoulders.

"I honestly think I'm the least of their problems right now," said Serena.

Augustine shook his head. "At least you had the common sense to not use a member of your main team to help you . . . but how can you say that?"

"Because on my way here, I saw Team Flare."

The color drained from his face. "Wha- what?"

"They were loading things onto a van and driving off into an alleyway," said Serena, trying to sound persuasive.

"Team Flare disbanded three years ago! Are you sure it was them?"

"I'm pretty sure, Augustine." Serena took a step back, pushing his hands off of her. "Of course, they got away from me before I saw where they went, but if I check those alleys again –"

"Let's go to dinner tonight." Augustine interrupted her. "No excuses, no conflicts, no surprise inspections are getting in our way. And then I think afterwards we should go dancing and stay up far too late, so we can fall asleep the moment our heads hit a pillow."

"That sounds like a date," said Serena, perplexed yet pleased. "Random timing, too."

"I'm serious! I-I . . . I've actually been thinking about asking you out for a while now," confessed Augustine.

Serena opened her mouth, intending to speak, but she felt as if all the words had been knocked out of her. If her mind wasn't preoccupied with Team Flare and the police's actions, she would be thrilled by what Augustine had just said, but for some reason the prospect of going on a proper date with him seemed so inconsequential.

She was saved by the sound of the elevator door opening. A few seconds later, a bald man dressed in a crisp black suit and red tie rounded the partition and located Augustine.

"Are you Professor Sycamore?" he asked.

"I am indeed," replied Augustine. Serena stepped out of the way.

"Just the man I was looking for. I am Alexandre Teleurac, Governor of Kalos – but I'm sure you knew that." Teleurac walked up to Augustine and extended his hand for a handshake.

"Pleasure to meet you, Governor," said Augustine politely.

Teleurac turned his head to make eye contact with Serena. "And who is this?" He slowly slid his hand from Augustine's grip and sauntered over to Serena, his mouth curving into a charming smile that showed off two rows of perfectly straight, white teeth.

"Serena Carlyle," she introduced herself, holding her own hand out with intentions to shake his hand. Instead, Teleurac gently took her hand in his.

"Mademoiselle Carlyle, the League Champion? Oh, _enchanté_," said Teleurac before he raised Serena's hand to his mouth and pressed his lips to it. "You are far lovelier in person than you are on television."

"Thank you," said Serena. In her peripheral vision, she saw Augustine roll his eyes.

"Are you adapting well to the new conservation policies?" he asked her.

"Yes I am, thanks for asking." Serena said. She took another breath to continue talking, but Teleurac beat her to it.

"_Très bien!_ Perhaps you would like to schedule a time to go to the film studio and shoot a PR video promoting the environmental initiatives? Your star power – and radiant beauty – would be a big boost towards getting more of the public on board!"

"Sure, I'd love to. Governor . . . I think the police department has abused its power in the case of a Mr. Bernard Lecroux. He may have disturbed the peace, but I don't think he deserved to be brutalized and have his Pokemon confiscated over it."

Teleurac nodded his head in agreement feverishly. "Agreed, _ma chérie_. I shall launch a formal inquiry. Now –"

"Also, I believe Team Flare is resuming its criminal activity." Serena continued.

His face went blank. "Is that so? Well, I'll launch a formal inquiry into that as well. Now, mademoiselle, I would like to have a private conversation with the Professor here, if you don't mind."

"Of course," said Serena agreeably. "I was just leaving anyway." She glanced over to Augustine before taking a step away.

"I'll send you a message about . . . erm . . . what I just suggested," said Augustine.

"Okay," Serena responded noncommittally. She whistled for Eevee to come to her, and then scooped the Pokemon back up into her arms. "Pleasure to meet you, Governor."

"The pleasure's all mine, Mademoiselle Carlyle." Teleurac gave her a crooked smile and watched her as she rounded the partition to the elevator.

Teleurac watched her leave, and then turned back to Augustine once the elevator door shut. "Charming girl," he said. "Professor, I hear you are an expert on Mega Evolution, correct?" He walked towards the shelf holding Augustine's collection of Mega Stones.

"I wouldn't call myself an expert, just a dedicated student of its secrets," said Augustine humbly.

"No matter what you call yourself, you must be very knowledgeable of the subject. Surely there are applications for such a Pokemon's unleashed power outside of battle?" Teleurac asked, using a finger to slowly stroke the top of the Aggronite.

"Honestly, Governor, Mega Evolution has only been a field of serious scientific study for five years now, even if we have been using it for millennia already. I am still working to characterize the phenomenon before I think of broader applications for it," explained Augustine.

"Hmm," muttered Teleurac, now running his thumb over the Aggronite. "Well, Professor . . . how would you like funds to research broader uses for Mega Evolution . . . and a position in the Department of Environmental Sustainability?"


	5. Chapter 5

**SIX**

_"He wants to WHAT?!"_

Shauna called Serena around five that afternoon. Before then, Serena was listening to the message Augustine had promised to leave her, and she was in the middle of reciting the details out loud when her friend's holographic image appeared from the Holo Caster.

"Dinner. And dancing. And staying up late, doing . . . I don't know what." Serena shrugged, although she had an idea of what could happen if she stayed up late with Augustine. "I'm supposed to meet him at Restaurant Le Wow at eight thirty, and wear something nice."

_"Wear that lacy blue dress – anyway, oh my gosh! You and him! Sure, he's our former mentor, and at least ten years older than you, but you've been hoping for this for how long now?"_

". . . I lost track of how long," admitted Serena, feeling her face get warm.

_"I always had a hunch you were his favorite. Don't tell Calem I said that."_

Serena laughed appreciatively. "So . . . how are things between you and Calem?"

_"They're good,"_ said Shauna casually. _"I mean, he's really bummed out about not being able to go to Hoenn. I don't see him during the day since I'm volunteering at the Pokemon Center in Cyllage, but last night we sat in his apartment after the party and watched some cheesy movies. We'll probably do the same tonight when I'm done here and he's done training for the day."_

"Hey, if it takes his mind off his troubles," said Serena.

Shauna turned her head and said something unintelligible to the person behind her. _"Well, looks like break time's over. Call me later and tell me all about your date with the Professor! . . . on second thought, don't. Bye!"_

Shauna's holographic image shrank back into the Holo Caster. Serena set the device down on her nightstand and crossed her bedroom to the closet to begin digging for the blue lacy dress Shauna had mentioned, all the while singing to herself.

"I'm going on a date, I'm going on a date, Team Flare is back in town, certainly up to no good, and I'm going on a date."

* * *

The cab that was ferrying Serena arrived at Restaurant Le Wow at eight thirty-three. As the cab pulled up to the curb, Serena looked out the window and saw Augustine waiting outside the entrance to the restaurant, looking up and down the street. He was wearing the same waistcoat and slacks from the party the previous night, but with a light blue dress shirt and no tie. In his hand was a single pink rose.

Serena paid the driver, took a deep breath, and opened the door to step out of the cab. The moment she poked her head out and stepped away, she heard Augustine call to her and raise his arm.

"Hi!" she called back while prancing up to him.

Augustine didn't respond; he smiled at her, but then scanned up and down her body before stopping on her face. The lacy blue dress, which clung to her curves just right to show her figure, was evidently doing the trick.

"Did someone give you a flower on your way here?" she asked him jokingly, gesturing towards the rose in his hand.

"Oh – no! No, this is for you," he said timidly, handing the flower over to her.

"Thank you. It's beautiful," she remarked, holding the rose by the stem in one hand and using her other hand to stroke its petals.

Augustine smiled as he placed an arm around her shoulders and guided her into the restaurant. As the two of them followed the hostess to their table, he saw one restaurant patron having a quick, small-scale battle with their waitress.

"Ah, I forgot this was a battling restaurant as well!" groaned Augustine. He pulled out a chair at the table and gestured for Serena to sit down.

"Don't worry. I've got this." Serena said confidently as she sat down.

Indeed, the battles were far too easy for Serena's taste. Since they were in a confined space, she used Meowstic and Ampharos in a Double Battle before the serving of each new course. Each of her opponents' Pokemon was taken out after a few hits from her own. In addition, it didn't take long for a small crowd to form around their table; people were taking this opportunity to watch the Champion battle in person.

The poisson course was soon served, and Serena turned back to the table to eat. She and Augustine caught one another's eyes, and they smiled nervously at each other.

"Some date this must be for you, just sitting there and watching me battle," she said apologetically.

Augustine shrugged. "The night is young. Opportunities for one-on-one time will present themselves. Besides, I love the way you work with Pokemon. You make it look so effortless."

Serena looked down at her plate and cut off a piece of her food. "Is that why I've been asked to help you handle Pokemon on and off over the last three years?"

"Like I said the other day, you are the best trainer I know. And it was an excuse to spend time with you."

"Well, Augustine, I'd be lying if I said I didn't look forward to those occasions when they arose," Serena confessed. She popped a small bite in her mouth, chewed, then swallowed. "Since they usually ended in you laid out on the floor, being jumped on by some rambunctious Squirtle or Fennekin." She smirked at the memory.

"And it took you two whole minutes to get them off me!" Augustine reminisced, laughing himself.

"Can you blame me? It was cute!"

Both Serena and Augustine laughed briefly before continuing to eat and make small talk about his research or her upcoming projects at school. When conversation died down, Serena looked at him tentatively as he looked down at his plate to scoop up another bite of food. She told herself that later, while they were dancing, she had to run her fingers through that wondrous thick hair of his.

Augustine took a bite, and then his gaze met hers. Both of them quickly diverted their eyes, and Serena smiled skittishly.

"Can I confess something, Serena?" he asked her.

"Yeah, go ahead," said Serena as she reestablished eye contact with him. She reached for her glass to take a drink, but then someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," said a young man who was holding a notepad and a pen, "I hate to interrupt you, but I would you please give me your autograph? My sister's a huge fan of yours."

"Um, sure," she said, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice. After she gave that young man an autograph, she turned back to Augustine and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry," she said. "I keep forgetting I'm famous. Anyway, what were you saying?"

Augustine finished looking around the restaurant at the other patrons. "Uh . . . it can wait for later."

She shrugged and nodded in acceptance, but her curiosity was piqued. He could be ready to profess his undying love already, for all she knew.

A couple of minutes later, another person came up to her for an autograph, followed by a woman who wanted Serena to take a picture with her kids. All the while, she obliged her fans and gave Augustine the occasional apologetic look, while not showing how increasingly agitated she was becoming. Augustine took the interruptions in stride, quietly eating his food and offering a supportive smile whenever Serena turned to him.

Finally, a young man who appeared to be a few years older than her approached the table. His hair was shaped into spikes using far too much product and he reeked of cheap cologne.

"You know, I was Champion of Kanto once. Only for five minutes though, but that's only a minor detail. I like watching you battle, Serena. We should have a match sometime. But first . . . how'd you like to join me for coffee tomorrow?"

Serena scoffed. "Excuse me?" This was the final straw for her.

"We'd be quite the power couple. Name's Blue, by the way. Same color as those gorgeous eyes of yours."

"I don't care," snapped Serena. "See this gentleman here?" she pointed to Augustine. "I am on a date with him right now. An _actual date_, with fancy dinner and dancing and staying up late doing who-knows-what – Oh God, why did I just say that? He even gave me flowers, he's such a sweetheart. Anyway, since you don't even have the basic decency to leave alone two people trying to enjoy one another's company, I'm not going to even consider ever being the other half of your dream power couple. Now scram."

Once again, she had caught the attention of everyone at the restaurant. Serena felt all eyes on her, judging her and boring into her.

"Fine, sheesh. Smell ya later, I guess." Blue raised his hands in defeat, turned to walk away, but then looked back at Augustine. "You could do better. He doesn't even look like he has any Gym Badges."

"Go away!" Serena half-shouted. She turned back into the table and let her head drop into her shaking hands.

The waitress returned with the fromage course, a Skiddo in tow.

"Thank you for waiting. Here is the fromage course, a –"

"Excuse me," Serena said suddenly as she rose to her feet and stormed away from the table, grabbing her purse on her way out. She felt people staring at her, and their whispering amongst themselves made her skin crawl. Once out on the sidewalk of Hibernal Avenue, she heard footsteps bounding behind her, coming closer, until they halted.

"Serena," said Augustine softly, grabbing her shoulders and turning her to face him.

"I'm sorry," she blubbered. "I really am. You were probably really excited for this evening, and I blew it."

"No. That guy was way out of line. Don't worry about him."

"It's not just him! There were the people watching my battles with the owner and the garçon and the waitress, and everyone else who wanted my autograph and pictures – I can't even enjoy a meal in peace, Augustine. Are you sure you want to go out with me? Because you'll get caught up in all of this too."

Augustine slid his hands down from her shoulders, all the way down her arms, until he reached her hands, taking them in his own. "Yes. You're too wonderful and amazing to be constantly surrounded by people and attention yet feel so alone."

Serena smiled weakly. She raised herself up on the balls of her feet, leaned forward, and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

"_Merci_," she said. He smiled in return. "Shall we go finish our dinner?"

"Actually, I was thinking we could move on to the next portion of our evening," said Augustine.

"Dancing?" Serena asked, excited and nervous at the prospect.

"Yes indeed," he replied. He let go of her hands and offered his arm to her.

"Where did you have in mind?" continued Serena as she linked her arm around his and began walking alongside him.

"My place," answered Augustine. "It's far more private, and my music selection is better than anything you'll find in a club or hall these days. I have a few dance moves I'm good at – and some other moves I can show you, but they're not for dancing." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Whoa now, this is only the first date!" Serena exclaimed through her giggles.

"I'm just teasing," said Augustine.

The two of them continued on down the street, past other people and Pokemon, the city feeling strangely dim without the usual glow of Prism Tower at night. Serena felt herself gravitating closer to Augustine as they walked, as if an invisible magnet was pulling her to him. While the evening hadn't gone exactly as she imagined it would, right now it was enough for her to be beside him, not saying much of anything, just enjoying each moment for what it was.

* * *

Augustine's apartment fell between Vert Plaza and Vernal Avenue, in a two-story building that was more modern-looking than its surroundings.

"Sorry, I forgot it's a mess," he said apologetically as they walked in. He reached over to the light switch next to the door and flicked it up, turning on the lights in the apartment. Serena was not at all surprised to see that this place was kept in the same state as his lab: messy, with dishes in the sink and various papers on every desk and table.

"I've seen worse," Serena shrugged. "When I lived in Kanto, I couldn't keep my room clean to save my life. Going on my Pokemon journey must have beaten orderliness into me."

"So if I had finished mine I would be able to keep my apartment clean?" Augustine feigned offense as he spoke. He guided her into the living area until they were both standing behind his sofa. Serena noticed a sleek-looking music player set up on a table along the wall.

"Perhaps," said Serena slyly, setting her bag down on a small table by the couch.

Augustine leaned over to his music player, turned it on, and pressed a few buttons until music started playing. The song that played had a soft but discernable beat, with guitar and piano in the background. After a few measures, a woman began singing in Kalosian.

He stepped back to Serena, took one of her hands, and placed his free hand on the small of her back. In turn, Serena put a hand on his shoulder. The two of them moved together, in time with the music, their bodies slowly gravitating closer to one another.

"Isn't this better than a noisy club?" Augustine asked softly.

"Much better," agreed Serena, "but at least at clubs they do the dishes."

He chortled.

Serena had been looking past his shoulder thus far, but now she diverted her gaze up to make eye contact with him. There was a look in his eyes, a mix of disbelief, wonder, and desire. She soon found herself matching that look, and scooting in some more so that only a small sliver of air separated their bodies.

"I meant to ask at dinner: what did Teleurac want?" inquired Serena.

"He offered me a job at the Department of Environmental Sustainability," said Augustine. "My job would be to develop applications for Mega Evolution outside of battling."

"Interesting," she commented.

"I think I'll take the job. The way the Department came down on us yesterday, this may be the only way to keep the lab fully operational. I'd be able to resume my current experiment but assign most of the work to Sina and Dexio while I work on whatever Teleurac assigns to me."

Serena nodded. "Are there any openings for research assistants?"

"There will be in the future," said Augustine with a chuckle.

"What's she singing about?" Serena asked about the song. After three years of living in Kalos, she had picked up the basics of the region's traditional language; however, she had a hard time understanding words when they were sung.

"The ocean, _la mer,_" he said poetically before he started singing along. _"__La mer__, les a bercés, le long des golfes clairs, et d'une chanson d'amour, la mer,"_ He twirled her on the spot, caught her, and then pulled her back into him.

_"A bercé mon coeur, pour la vie."_

The song ended, and was followed by a few more slow-paced songs that were either instrumental or featured Kalosian lyrics. Serena and Augustine would sway back and forth on the spot, arms around each other and very little space separating their faces.

"Your hair looks lovely tonight," he said.

"Thanks. So does yours," she responded, relieved that her painstaking hour of curling her hair had not gone unnoticed.

Augustine chuckled.

"What was it you were going to tell me at the restaurant before my fans attacked?" asked Serena.

"Ah, yes!" Augustine paused. "I was going to tell you . . . that I've actually been enamored with you for some time now. I mean – I've always regarded you differently than Calem and the others, since we easily became good friends after you became Champion. And, um, we, uh – _merde_, this is harder than I thought."

"And all the times I helped you with your research led to you feeling something more," added Serena honestly. That had been her experience, at least.

"Exactly. I remember when you were telling me about the battle you just had with that Gym Leader visiting from Sinnoh, and – just – the way your face lit up as you were talking, how animated and excited you were – it hit me that not only are you the best Pokemon Trainer I know, but you're also the most passionate and brave and – and – all around wonderful, and that my life is so much better with you in it."

She smiled at him, finding herself at a loss for words. He smiled back, his eyes full of joy, and she took that to mean that no words from her were needed at that moment. The sweet scent of his cologne indulged her senses, and his touch – the way his fingers languidly dragged themselves along her waist – brought her some indescribable pleasure. Eventually, she would get around to raising herself up onto her toes and press her lips to his . . . .

She was jolted out of her trance by the beginning of the next song on his playlist, which started abruptly and kept a fast tempo. Thankfully, these lyrics were not exclusively Kalosian.

"I love this song! We danced to it all the time at university!" Augustine jumped back and began bopping around in time to the music. A loud giggle erupted from Serena's mouth as she watched him; any other man would look ridiculous, but Augustine's clumsy dance moves were adorable to her.

"Ever do the Scatterbug, Serena?" He held out an open hand, his other hand snapping fingers rhythmically.

"Yeah. Tierno taught us all how," she answered before taking his hand.

Truthfully, she had not had much practice doing the Scatterbug; she mostly kept her eyes on her feet, making sure she didn't step on his as they swiftly went from step to step. Augustine's skill at this dance became apparent as he effortlessly twirled her around, twirled himself around, and managed to keep their limbs from being entangled on several occasions. He put all of his energy into the dance, so when the song ended, he let his body fall onto the couch.

"Dance yourself to death?" Serena asked him playfully. She looked at him from the back of the couch, her own breath heavy and her skin flush.

"I'm not as young as I used to be," said Augustine, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he breathed.

"That's okay. I'm still having fun." Serena beamed. "But if you're tired . . . I should probably go and let you rest."

"_Non, non, ma chérie,_" Augustine protested.

"It's almost ten," Serena told him after checking the clock mounted on the wall.

"The night is still . . . somewhat young. But if it's that late, I insist you stay the night."

Serena snorted. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the back of the couch. "Then we'll have to think of something else to do that is less physically taxing on you."

Augustine whimpered in disappointment.

"I know," said Serena sympathetically as she walked around and sat down on the couch next to his head. She gently grasped a lock of his hair between her fingers and lazily twisted it around. "Perhaps we should make sure we want to be in a serious relationship before we go down that path."

Augustine shifted his head slightly so he could make eye contact with her. "You mean . . . you're not sure yet?"

"I- well – um . . . ." Serena remembered what happened at dinner, then took her mind further back to when she was first crowned Champion and the media frenzy that followed. Back then, a story circulated about her and Calem supposedly being an item, until she got Alexa at Lumiose Press to shut it down. Both she and Calem had been scrutinized by the media – the nature of their supposed relationship, and how it could have arisen from their friendly rivalry. She could see the tabloids in her mind's eye again, only this time Calem was replaced with Augustine and the featured story was accusing the Professor of favoritism.

"My mom always told me to wait until after a few dates before I consider committing. But if we did, we'd have to keep it on the down low," she finally said. "We'd limit how often we're seen in public together. No popular cafés, no fancy restaurants, displays of affection kept behind closed doors."

"Ah, the struggles of having a famous girlfriend – I can handle all of that, Serena." He reached up and grabbed her hand that was stroking his hair, brought it to his mouth, and gently kissed her palm.

The two of them sat like that for a few minutes; Augustine rested her hand on his chest, and Serena used her free hand to continue playing with his hair, twirling his soft, silky locks around her fingers. She cursed her mother's advice to her about waiting to commit to a relationship; if she really wanted to, she could rewrite some of her interactions with him as "dates": café meetings like the one a few days ago, private meals where they talked about Pokemon and meaningless things, the time she unsuccessfully tried to teach him to rollerskate. Augustine was perhaps the one man she would consider breaking her mother's rule for.

"You want to watch some movies?" he suddenly asked her.

Serena looked around the living room; there was not a television in sight.

"The TV's in my bedroom – don't look at me like that, Serena, I'll keep a good six inches between us at all times. I just thought that you would enjoy the 'Pirates of the Ever Grande' film series."

"They're the ultimate in good stupid fun," commented Serena.

"You think so?" Augustine sat up as he spoke. "Sure, they have their campy, cheesy moments, but I thought they did a good job blending those moments with mindless action and extravagant special effects."

"I have a hard time believing that the captain really escaped that desert island while riding on the back of some Squirtle – with rope he wove from his own back hair."

Augustine shook his head. "He didn't actually do that, you know."

Serena scoffed. "Really? What evidence can you provide to show he made that story up?"

"Come watch the movies with me and I'll show you."


	6. Chapter 6

**SEVEN**

Serena woke up to the sound of Augustine's gentle, rhythmic breathing. She soon realized that her head was resting on his chest, and one of his arms was draped around her shoulders. Both of them were still wearing their clothes from the previous night, although she dare not think of what her hair looked like now, and neither of them had bothered to peel back the covers on his bed and tuck themselves in. The last thing she remembered happening, they were watching the third film in the series, and the pirate crew had discovered a giant Tentacruel - the same one that had caused problems in the second film - washed up dead on Lilycove Shore.

Sunlight was streaming through the curtains closed over the window in Augustine's bedroom. She raised her head slightly and saw the time and day on the clock on the nightstand. Eight-thirty AM, Monday.

"Dammit," she muttered as she hastily sat up. Her post-midterm break from school was over, and classes were scheduled to resume that day.

She swiveled her body around and hopped of his bed, finding her shoes lying haphazardly on the floor.

"Serena . . . ." Augustine said groggily as he sat up.

"It's Monday. I have class in thirty minutes," she explained.

"Oh? . . . ah, I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Once she finished putting her shoes on, Serena dashed to the bedroom door. "I had a great time. Really. I'll message you later."

* * *

She arrived to her first class of the day, Physiology of Dragon-Type Pokemon, three minutes after nine. There was enough time to go back to her apartment, change clothes and shoes and tie her hair back, and fly straight to campus.

Her usual seat next to Shauna was empty, and Shauna herself was seated already, looking around impatiently at the lecture hall, which was filling up as two dozen more students entered. Some students noticed Serena and would either give her an acknowledging smile or turn to whisper amongst themselves. The instructor had not arrived yet.

"Hey," Serena greeted Shauna as she sat down. Shauna smiled, and then her face changed to curiosity and scrutiny.

". . . You usually don't wear makeup to class," she observed.

"Oh – no, this isn't for class. Um, last night –"

"I don't want to know." Shauna interrupted her, trying to hide how uncomfortable the idea made her.

Serena rolled her eyes. "Nothing happened. Honestly."

At that moment, a harried-looking woman carrying a laptop and a stack of papers walked into the classroom and placed those items on a desk at the front.

"Hello class," she said to her students. "Today's lab section has been cancelled. Over the break, agents from the Department of Environmental Sustainability had the university relinquish many items we use in our labs – apparently they're too energy-costly. Our Evolution Simulator is too energy-costly? Really? Have they seen the setups down at Sycamore's lab?"

Serena looked down at her notebook, tapping her pencil on it. At the beginning of the semester, this professor had made it clear how she was no fan of Augustine or his work – the reason why had never been clarified.

"Anyway, we'll just have lecture today . . . and we'll just have lectures until we figure out what to do about lab, I guess. Now everyone get out your books and turn to Chapter 5."

* * *

Since it was an overcast and blustery day, Serena and Shauna opted to spend their free time in the student union, in their usual table off to the side. Neither of them did much talking; while Shauna sent text messages to Calem on her Holo Caster, Serena reviewed her notes from the day's classes. On occasion, students would pass by, glance at Serena, and started to whisper amongst themselves.

Shauna eventually put down her Holo Caster. "So, um . . . how'd your date go last night?"

"Oh! Uh, it went okay. We just went to dinner and then stayed up late watching movies. Nothing extraordinary." Serena replied as she suppressed a yawn.

"Nothing extraordinary? Calem just told me that he saw a news item about you yelling at a guy in Restaurant Le Wow," Shauna commented knowingly.

Serena huffed. Of course her little tirade would get media attention. Everything she did got media attention. Half of the people in her Physiology of Dragon-Type Pokemon class were in there because of her, and they all wanted her as study partners.

"That guy was really rude to us, I'll have you know." Serena's tone was defensive.

Shauna didn't respond. Her Holo Caster beeped, and she looked at its screen to read Calem's latest message.

"He's reading the story and telling me about it . . . apparently this journalist is really confused, because you're always so gracious to your fans. There's no good reason for you to snap, according to this guy."

"Please. That jerk at the restaurant was no fan," snapped Serena. "Perhaps I should have taken up his challenge for a battle right then. That would've made him shut up."

Serena's Holo Caster began beeping. Hoping that it wasn't someone who wanted to discuss her latest appearance in the tabloids, she took it out and pressed the "Answer" button. Augustine's holographic image appeared before her.

_"Serena! How are you? I hope classes are going well. I called because some new equipment was delivered to the lab today by the Department of Environmental Sustainability – _sacre bleu_ that's a mouthful, I'll have to shorten it to DES or something – anyway! These machines will be perfect for my new research projects, and I thought you'd find them fascinating too, so swing by the lab when you have a chance. _À bientôt!"

When the message finished playing, Serena checked the time: two-thirty. Her next, and final class for the day, was at three. She could be at the lab by five.

"That right there sounds like the most romantic thing I've _ever_ heard," said Shauna, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Please, Shauna. This is purely for science," Serena protested, although she didn't entirely believe what she had just said. Her face was getting warm again, and she fought to keep herself from smiling.

"Yeah. Sure it is."

* * *

When Serena arrived at Augustine's office later that evening, she walked in to find him dancing by his desk to a pop song playing on the radio. On the opposite end of the room from his desk was a large boxy metal machine with a panel of buttons and blinking lights. His movements were as adorably awkward as they had been the previously night; and as he was facing his desk at that moment, Serena watched his backside as it moved back and forth slightly off-beat from the music.

"WHAT DOES DELPHOX SAY?" Augustine rapidly turned around, holding a pen in his hand as if it were the stick Delphox utilized in battle. When he noticed Serena standing by the partition, he jumped back in surprise, and his face turned redder than his socks. Serena held her hand up to her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"Serena – hi!" said Augustine, still slightly embarrassed.

She walked up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "How's my favorite dancing professor today?"

"I'm sleepy, but feeling good. You?" he asked before bending down and giving her cheek a kiss.

"The same . . . Is that one of the machines you wanted to show me?" asked Serena, pointing to the one across the room.

"Yes – yes it is!" Augustine put an arm around her shoulder and guided her across the room, where he gestured at the machine with a grand, flourishing motion of his free arm. "The other two are an Evolution Simulator and an MRI machine – standard things, really, but they're from the Université de Kalos and much newer than what we have. I can use this one to measure energy output from any source, as well as store it." His face practically shone with enthusiasm, like he was a child showing off his new favorite toy.

"Where'd you get this one?" She looked up and down the machine, seeing that next to the panel of buttons were two long cables with electrodes on their ends.

"The Department gave it to me. It was developed by a private company for use by the government. Tomorrow I'll be meeting with Teleurac and some other scientists about an upcoming project investigating new sources of renewable energy."

"That's exciting!" Serena beamed.

"I know! Maybe I was wrong about Teleurac. He came off as an arrogant _connard_ during his campaign, but he might just actually care deeply for Kalos's well-being," said Augustine. The two of them maintained eye contact for a few seconds before Serena broke it by glancing back at the machine next to them.

"You got the other two from the university?" she asked him, thinking about how lab sections for her classes had been cancelled indefinitely.

"Yes, why?" Augustine looked puzzled.

"My Dragon-type Physiology class . . . we're not having any more labs this semester because the Department took some equipment. Said it was too 'inefficient.' And it's all sitting downstairs right now, isn't it?"

Augustine sighed. "I don't know if it came from your class specifically, Serena. I'm sorry if this is indirectly hindering your education."

"It's not, really," said Serena, "but we're writing term papers instead, on any topic we want related to Dragon-types. I'm going to talk to my instructor to see if she'll let me write about how and why my Charizard becomes a Dragon-type while it's Mega Evolved."

"Fascinating . . . You're welcome to use any of my resources for this paper – perhaps the notes and data we have on your Charizard would help? They're on that shelf right there."

"Yeah, I'll take you up on that . . . ." Serena walked over to the shelf Augustine indicated, and found the red notebook that contained all the data and observations that the two of them had gathered on her Charizard and Mega Evolution over the years. She then found herself distracted, thoughts drifting into skepticism about Teleurac and the Department of Environmental Sustainability.

"But Augustine, don't you think it's weird that you've gotten all this new lab equipment after being rated the second largest drain on energy usage in Lumiose City?" she asked as she stashed the notebook in her bag.

His demeanor fell as he contemplated her words. "Perhaps," he said, "but I'll be doing important work for the government."

"And that's a good enough excuse?" She took a step closer to him.

When he didn't respond, Serena sighed. "You don't think anything weird is going on, Augustine? A man is arrested and brutalized for disagreeing with the police, food and water is being rationed randomly, and then the government seizes lab equipment from a university for its own use in a lovely display of bureaucratic hypocrisy –"

"And two people in red suits load up a van and drive down an alleyway. So Team Flare _must_ be back."

"No – well, I'm not saying that for sure. But I think there's a chance," said Serena, growing flustered. Of course, now that she vocalized her thoughts, they sounded ridiculous to her. Perhaps Augustine was right this time.

"You're basing all of this on circumstantial evidence. Just because there are policy changes we disagree with doesn't mean that a criminal organization is behind it." Augustine said in an attempt to sound reasonable.

It was quiet for a moment.

"Serena . . . please don't stress over this. Focus on your studies. Spend time with your mother and your friends. Spend time with me." Augustine spoke soothingly while he brushed a lock of hair out of her face. "And if you turn out to be wrong, you'll feel so silly for worrying so much."

Serena shook her head. "I'd rather stress out and be wrong later than keep on living and not realize something's wrong until it's too late, like you did with Lysandre."

Augustine's face turned white, and Serena felt a pang of guilt after realizing what she had just said. She stepped back and watched as his face fell into a lost, sorrowful expression.

"I'm sorry – I didn't mean to say that–" she stammered, trying to think of ways to finish those sentences but coming up short. In a way, though, she _had_ meant to say that – it had always irked her how Augustine was in denial about Lysandre's involvement with Team Flare, right up to the fateful Holo Caster broadcast where he had announced his plans for eliminating the human race.

She couldn't find a way to salvage the situation. "I- I should go get started on that paper. I'll leave you to your work," she said hastily before turning around and dashing for the elevator, ignoring Augustine's fingertips brush against her elbow as he tried to grab hold.

During the walk home, she replayed that conversation in her head, thinking of things she could have said instead and the more pleasant outcomes that could have resulted. She alternated between crafting a proper apology in her head and resolving never to speak to him again to spare both of them from embarrassment. In the end, though, she spent the evening watching documentaries on television to block out any thoughts she had about Team Flare or what she had said to Augustine.


	7. Chapter 7

**SEVEN**

Serena woke up to the sound of Augustine's gentle, rhythmic breathing. She soon realized that her head was resting on his chest, and one of his arms was draped around her shoulders. Both of them were still wearing their clothes from the previous night, although she dare not think of what her hair looked like now, and neither of them had bothered to peel back the covers on his bed and tuck themselves in. The last thing she remembered happening, they were watching the third film in the series, and the pirate crew had discovered a giant Tentacruel - the same one that had caused problems in the second film - washed up dead on Lilycove Shore.

Sunlight was streaming through the curtains closed over the window in Augustine's bedroom. She raised her head slightly and saw the time and day on the clock on the nightstand. Eight-thirty AM, Monday.

"Dammit," she muttered as she hastily sat up. Her post-midterm break from school was over, and classes were scheduled to resume that day.

She swiveled her body around and hopped of his bed, finding her shoes lying haphazardly on the floor.

"Serena . . . ." Augustine said groggily as he sat up.

"It's Monday. I have class in thirty minutes," she explained.

"Oh? . . . ah, I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Once she finished putting her shoes on, Serena dashed to the bedroom door. "I had a great time. Really. I'll message you later."

* * *

She arrived to her first class of the day, Physiology of Dragon-Type Pokemon, three minutes after nine. There was enough time to go back to her apartment, change clothes and shoes and tie her hair back, and fly straight to campus.

Her usual seat next to Shauna was empty, and Shauna herself was seated already, looking around impatiently at the lecture hall, which was filling up as two dozen more students entered. Some students noticed Serena and would either give her an acknowledging smile or turn to whisper amongst themselves. The instructor had not arrived yet.

"Hey," Serena greeted Shauna as she sat down. Shauna smiled, and then her face changed to curiosity and scrutiny.

". . . You usually don't wear makeup to class," she observed.

"Oh – no, this isn't for class. Um, last night –"

"I don't want to know." Shauna interrupted her, trying to hide how uncomfortable the idea made her.

Serena rolled her eyes. "Nothing happened. Honestly."

At that moment, a harried-looking woman carrying a laptop and a stack of papers walked into the classroom and placed those items on a desk at the front.

"Hello class," she said to her students. "Today's lab section has been cancelled. Over the break, agents from the Department of Environmental Sustainability had the university relinquish many items we use in our labs – apparently they're too energy-costly. Our Evolution Simulator is too energy-costly? Really? Have they seen the setups down at Sycamore's lab?"

Serena looked down at her notebook, tapping her pencil on it. At the beginning of the semester, this professor had made it clear how she was no fan of Augustine or his work – the reason why had never been clarified.

"Anyway, we'll just have lecture today . . . and we'll just have lectures until we figure out what to do about lab, I guess. Now everyone get out your books and turn to Chapter 5."

* * *

Since it was an overcast and blustery day, Serena and Shauna opted to spend their free time in the student union, in their usual table off to the side. Neither of them did much talking; while Shauna sent text messages to Calem on her Holo Caster, Serena reviewed her notes from the day's classes. On occasion, students would pass by, glance at Serena, and started to whisper amongst themselves.

Shauna eventually put down her Holo Caster. "So, um . . . how'd your date go last night?"

"Oh! Uh, it went okay. We just went to dinner and then stayed up late watching movies. Nothing extraordinary." Serena replied as she suppressed a yawn.

"Nothing extraordinary? Calem just told me that he saw a news item about you yelling at a guy in Restaurant Le Wow," Shauna commented knowingly.

Serena huffed. Of course her little tirade would get media attention. Everything she did got media attention. Half of the people in her Physiology of Dragon-Type Pokemon class were in there because of her, and they all wanted her as study partners.

"That guy was really rude to us, I'll have you know." Serena's tone was defensive.

Shauna didn't respond. Her Holo Caster beeped, and she looked at its screen to read Calem's latest message.

"He's reading the story and telling me about it . . . apparently this journalist is really confused, because you're always so gracious to your fans. There's no good reason for you to snap, according to this guy."

"Please. That jerk at the restaurant was no fan," snapped Serena. "Perhaps I should have taken up his challenge for a battle right then. That would've made him shut up."

Serena's Holo Caster began beeping. Hoping that it wasn't someone who wanted to discuss her latest appearance in the tabloids, she took it out and pressed the "Answer" button. Augustine's holographic image appeared before her.

_"Serena! How are you? I hope classes are going well. I called because some new equipment was delivered to the lab today by the Department of Environmental Sustainability – _sacre bleu_ that's a mouthful, I'll have to shorten it to DES or something – anyway! These machines will be perfect for my new research projects, and I thought you'd find them fascinating too, so swing by the lab when you have a chance. _À bientôt!"

When the message finished playing, Serena checked the time: two-thirty. Her next, and final class for the day, was at three. She could be at the lab by five.

"That right there sounds like the most romantic thing I've _ever_ heard," said Shauna, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Please, Shauna. This is purely for science," Serena protested, although she didn't entirely believe what she had just said. Her face was getting warm again, and she fought to keep herself from smiling.

"Yeah. Sure it is."

* * *

When Serena arrived at Augustine's office later that evening, she walked in to find him dancing by his desk to a pop song playing on the radio. On the opposite end of the room from his desk was a large boxy metal machine with a panel of buttons and blinking lights. His movements were as adorably awkward as they had been the previously night; and as he was facing his desk at that moment, Serena watched his backside as it moved back and forth slightly off-beat from the music.

"WHAT DOES DELPHOX SAY?" Augustine rapidly turned around, holding a pen in his hand as if it were the stick Delphox utilized in battle. When he noticed Serena standing by the partition, he jumped back in surprise, and his face turned redder than his socks. Serena held her hand up to her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"Serena – hi!" said Augustine, still slightly embarrassed.

She walked up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "How's my favorite dancing professor today?"

"I'm sleepy, but feeling good. You?" he asked before bending down and giving her cheek a kiss.

"The same . . . Is that one of the machines you wanted to show me?" asked Serena, pointing to the one across the room.

"Yes – yes it is!" Augustine put an arm around her shoulder and guided her across the room, where he gestured at the machine with a grand, flourishing motion of his free arm. "The other two are an Evolution Simulator and an MRI machine – standard things, really, but they're from the Université de Kalos and much newer than what we have. I can use this one to measure energy output from any source, as well as store it." His face practically shone with enthusiasm, like he was a child showing off his new favorite toy.

"Where'd you get this one?" She looked up and down the machine, seeing that next to the panel of buttons were two long cables with electrodes on their ends.

"The Department gave it to me. It was developed by a private company for use by the government. Tomorrow I'll be meeting with Teleurac and some other scientists about an upcoming project investigating new sources of renewable energy."

"That's exciting!" Serena beamed.

"I know! Maybe I was wrong about Teleurac. He came off as an arrogant _connard_ during his campaign, but he might just actually care deeply for Kalos's well-being," said Augustine. The two of them maintained eye contact for a few seconds before Serena broke it by glancing back at the machine next to them.

"You got the other two from the university?" she asked him, thinking about how lab sections for her classes had been cancelled indefinitely.

"Yes, why?" Augustine looked puzzled.

"My Dragon-type Physiology class . . . we're not having any more labs this semester because the Department took some equipment. Said it was too 'inefficient.' And it's all sitting downstairs right now, isn't it?"

Augustine sighed. "I don't know if it came from your class specifically, Serena. I'm sorry if this is indirectly hindering your education."

"It's not, really," said Serena, "but we're writing term papers instead, on any topic we want related to Dragon-types. I'm going to talk to my instructor to see if she'll let me write about how and why my Charizard becomes a Dragon-type while it's Mega Evolved."

"Fascinating . . . You're welcome to use any of my resources for this paper – perhaps the notes and data we have on your Charizard would help? They're on that shelf right there."

"Yeah, I'll take you up on that . . . ." Serena walked over to the shelf Augustine indicated, and found the red notebook that contained all the data and observations that the two of them had gathered on her Charizard and Mega Evolution over the years. She then found herself distracted, thoughts drifting into skepticism about Teleurac and the Department of Environmental Sustainability.

"But Augustine, don't you think it's weird that you've gotten all this new lab equipment after being rated the second largest drain on energy usage in Lumiose City?" she asked as she stashed the notebook in her bag.

His demeanor fell as he contemplated her words. "Perhaps," he said, "but I'll be doing important work for the government."

"And that's a good enough excuse?" She took a step closer to him.

When he didn't respond, Serena sighed. "You don't think anything weird is going on, Augustine? A man is arrested and brutalized for disagreeing with the police, food and water is being rationed randomly, and then the government seizes lab equipment from a university for its own use in a lovely display of bureaucratic hypocrisy –"

"And two people in red suits load up a van and drive down an alleyway. So Team Flare _must_ be back."

"No – well, I'm not saying that for sure. But I think there's a chance," said Serena, growing flustered. Of course, now that she vocalized her thoughts, they sounded ridiculous to her. Perhaps Augustine was right this time.

"You're basing all of this on circumstantial evidence. Just because there are policy changes we disagree with doesn't mean that a criminal organization is behind it." Augustine said in an attempt to sound reasonable.

It was quiet for a moment.

"Serena . . . please don't stress over this. Focus on your studies. Spend time with your mother and your friends. Spend time with me." Augustine spoke soothingly while he brushed a lock of hair out of her face. "And if you turn out to be wrong, you'll feel so silly for worrying so much."

Serena shook her head. "I'd rather stress out and be wrong later than keep on living and not realize something's wrong until it's too late, like you did with Lysandre."

Augustine's face turned white, and Serena felt a pang of guilt after realizing what she had just said. She stepped back and watched as his face fell into a lost, sorrowful expression.

"I'm sorry – I didn't mean to say that–" she stammered, trying to think of ways to finish those sentences but coming up short. In a way, though, she _had_ meant to say that – it had always irked her how Augustine was in denial about Lysandre's involvement with Team Flare, right up to the fateful Holo Caster broadcast where he had announced his plans for eliminating the human race.

She couldn't find a way to salvage the situation. "I- I should go get started on that paper. I'll leave you to your work," she said hastily before turning around and dashing for the elevator, ignoring Augustine's fingertips brush against her elbow as he tried to grab hold.

During the walk home, she replayed that conversation in her head, thinking of things she could have said instead and the more pleasant outcomes that could have resulted. She alternated between crafting a proper apology in her head and resolving never to speak to him again to spare both of them from embarrassment. In the end, though, she spent the evening watching documentaries on television to block out any thoughts she had about Team Flare or what she had said to Augustine.


	8. Chapter 8

**EIGHT**

Four days. That was how long Serena managed to avoid seeing or talking to Augustine. She distracted herself by going to class, hanging out with Shauna when Calem was busy training ("He trains almost all the time," Shauna had lamented) working on her schoolwork, talking to her mother (who couldn't believe that she had to find out about the date with Augustine through a celebrity blogger) and doing her best to stay out of the limelight since her outburst at Restaurant Le Wow was still a hot item of gossip. People were still either talking about that or the new curfew set by Teleurac: every evening at seven o'clock, it was lights out in office buildings, certain retailers and entertainment venues, and minimal use in restaurants and homes. When this new policy was announced over the Holo Caster, Malva was acting like the world would end that instant unless everyone did their part and used less electricity to power their lives.

Of course, whenever Serena flew back to the city after her evening class on Wednesday, she saw that the lights were still on in Sycamore Laboratories, even though it was seven fifteen. Instead of wondering why Augustine was kept late at work these days, she felt a pang of guilt every time she thought about him. In her mind, what she had said about his attitude towards Lysandre may have been true, but she was extremely insensitive to bring it up. She knew that Lysandre was still a tender topic for Augustine; the two men were childhood friends and were like brothers, united by a passion for Pokemon and science, as well as a tragic accident that killed both their parents. Context didn't matter; any mention of Lysandre in front of Augustine was like cutting open a wound that had just finished healing.

After four days, she still hadn't figured out a good way to apologize, but she was starting to miss him.

* * *

Serena checked the time display on her laptop. Six fifty-five PM. From her spot at the kitchen table, she looked around the kitchen as well as the living room, and decided that it wasn't a big deal if the TV, her source of background noise, stayed on past seven o'clock tonight. She was on a roll with organizing her paper and picking out key points to discuss, and was perhaps ready to start the actual writing process.

Ten minutes later, there was a knock on her front door. She quickly saved her document and stood up to make her way to the door. Perhaps the powers that be _were_ really strict about the whole electricity conservation thing, she thought.

When she opened the door, though, she found Augustine standing there, looking down at his feet. He was holding a single pink rose in his hand.

"You, uh, hadn't been answering your Holo Caster," he said, still keeping his eyes on his feet but glancing up to her.

"I've been keeping it turned off. You know, to save power and all," said Serena; the truth was that she purposely did not answer his calls.

A few seconds of awkward silence passed.

"Um . . . wanna come in?" Serena asked him as she stepped out of the doorway. Augustine nodded and stepped inside, and she closed the door behind him. No more excuses, she told herself.

"Look, Augustine, what I said the other day – I was out of line. I shouldn't have said that, and I'm really sorry. I just - I felt so ashamed over it, because all these years later I know it still hurts for you to think about him, and . . . uh . . . you probably wanted some space from me or something."

He smiled faintly. "Did you really think that one uncouth comment would ruin three years of good friendship? Or how I feel about you?" he asked, holding the rose out to her. She took it and held it close to her chest, shaking her head as she did.

"Serena, _chérie_, I know you're stressed out right now. I know I was during my second year of university – then again, I didn't have paparazzi following me everywhere and publishing stories about my supposed nervous breakdown every other day."

"I yell at one guy and everyone thinks I'm losing it," said Serena bitterly. She would have to talk to Alexa about it the following day.

Augustine shrugged. "What you said did hurt, I won't deny that . . . but I don't want you to feel like you've done irreparable damage to our relationship, because you haven't."

Serena relaxed, letting go of some of the tension that had been building up inside her when she saw the sincerity in his face. He raised his arms slightly, nodding his head in a beckon for her to come closer. She closed the distance between them and felt his arms wrap around her as she threw her own around his back, resting her head against his chest, taking in the warmth and closeness of him, as well as the familiar scent of that cologne.

Augustine pulled away, but kept his hands on her shoulders. "Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"No," said Serena.

"Come with me back to my place. I'll cook for you," he offered.

"I'm working on my paper right now," Serena told him.

"Bring that too! Perhaps I can help with it."

After flashing him a smile, Serena dashed back into the kitchen. She filled a glass with some water and put the rose in it, setting it as a centerpiece on her kitchen table. She then powered down her laptop and stashed it, the power cable, and her notes into her computer bag. After throwing the bag's strap over her shoulder, she found her black riding boots on the floor under her coffee table and hastily put them on. Finally, she grabbed her Pokeball belt off the table and fastened it on top of her hips.

Meanwhile, Augustine was paying attention to the television.

"Psyduck Dynasty? Really?" he asked her, almost mockingly.

"They're incompetent, but they make good background noise," said Serena. She grabbed her jacket off the back of the couch, throwing it on over her blue and white high-waisted dress so she wouldn't be too chilly in the autumn evening air. The remote control was lying nearby on the couch; she picked it up and turned off the TV.

After turning off all the lights in her apartment, she and Augustine left and began the walk to his apartment. If the closing of Prism Tower had made Lumiose feel like a darker place, then it felt downright eerie now that many homes and businesses were either dimly lit or completely dark. In addition, only every other street lamp was turned on. Other people who were out used flashlights or the lights from their Holo Casters to illuminate their path. One person had his Minun walk in front of him; the Pokemon was using Flash to create a small bubble of light around itself and its Trainer.

The dark didn't bother Serena, although she was almost startled when she felt Augustine grab her hand. She wriggled her fingers around, helping him interlace his with her own. She then looked up to him, to find that he was looking back at her; the two of them shared small yet warm smiles.

"So . . . how were the last few days for you?" asked Serena, hoping he wouldn't resent her too much for ignoring him that long.

"Tedious, mainly. Mable is the one who runs the Department, and every meeting I had with her was about teaching me to use the energy extractor. At first, watching it electrocute an apple and turn it into a charred and mangled mass was a terrifying kind of fascinating, but after the fortieth apple I practiced with I was hoping to play with some aubergines or grapefruits."

Serena chortled. "So you'll be pulling energy out of fruit?"

"No, that was just to get used to how it works. Teleurac is always in meetings with another committee to brainstorm potential sources for renewable energy." Augustine said. "I just wonder what any of it has to do with Mega Evolution."

"They're telling us to eat less food to ease the burden on farmers and the land, but they're using up fruit like it's nothing?" Serena muttered. More lovely bureaucratic hypocrisy, she thought bitterly.

"I know," said Augustine softly.

A combination of flashlights and bright red sticking out in the night made its way into her peripheral vision. She stopped suddenly, yanking Augustine back to her side as he tried to walk on.

"Look!" she said quietly, pointing to the alley. Augustine turned his head to the alley and saw three Team Flare grunts working together to hoist a large wooden crate into the back of a van.

"_Mon Dieu_," he gasped. His mouth remained open, lower lip quivering, as he silently watched them. He shook his head, looking over them for something to indicate that they were something else entirely, but there was no denying anything when he saw their belt buckles in the shape of the curved red F.

The grunts finished loading the crate and hopped in the back of the van, shutting the door behind themselves.

"I can't believe it," said Augustine in disbelief. His mouth was hanging open, and his eyes darted between the van and Serena.

Once the van began driving away, Serena let go of his hand and sped off in pursuit. There was no way she would lose them this time.


	9. Chapter 9

**NINE**

Serena followed the van as it wound through alleys and back roads, through Rouge Plaza, and kept a safe distance once it stopped in a dead end behind the Looker Bureau. She peered around the corner of a building as a Team Flare grunt got out of the back of the van and opened up a manhole.

The familiar pounding of Augustine's feet on the pavement came soon after. He stopped by her side and bent over, placing a hand on her shoulder and clutching on for dear life as he labored for breath.

"What . . . are you . . . thinking?" he asked her, trying to sound disapproving although there was little support to his voice.

"I'm going to see what they're up to," answered Serena. She held a finger up to her mouth, telling him to shush, and then turned her attention back to the Team Flare grunts. The grunts were struggling under the weight of the large crate they had previously loaded.

"How are we going to get this down that hole?" one of the grunts asked.

"Have your Meditite levitate it or something. I don't know."

"Urgh, you are the least helpful person I've had the misfortune of working with."

Serena counted the grunts again. Three of them, and then the driver of the van, who had not revealed themselves yet.

"Are you going to battle all of them?" whispered Augustine.

"No . . . I have a better idea." Serena began fumbling on her belt until she found Haunter's Pokeball. She released Haunter, then gestured for him to come closer to her.

"Use Hypnosis on everyone there," she said, giving a small point towards the van. Haunter obeyed, and floated that way, making his body transparent as he did. In a matter of seconds, all of the Team Flare grunts were lying on the ground asleep. The van driver's head flopped over and hit the window with a _thud._

"You do know that using Pokemon to attack humans is against the law, right?" Augustine said.

"Yeah yeah, just a minor detail. Good work, Haunter," said Serena as she recalled the Pokemon. "Now to see what's in that crate."

Serena walked over and dropped onto her knees next to the crate, and began feeling around the edges of it until she found a space big enough for her fingers to wiggle through before pushing up on the lid. The crate opened slowly, resisting Serena as its lid was forced upward, until nails became separated from wood and the lid was discarded.

"Oh – oh no. No no no no no." Serena's hand rose up to her mouth when she saw two fainted Skiddo inside the crate.

"Are those the two that always sleep outside the train station?" asked Augustine, looking into the crate and gasping in shock.

"I-I think so." Serena threw her hand into her bag and dug around until she found two Max Revives. She used them both on the Skiddo and watched them slowly stand up inside the crate. One Skiddo soon hopped out of the crate, followed by the other. Both of them looked around, confused by their surroundings.

"Go. Get out of here!" Serena pointed towards the Looker Bureau. "Your Trainer could be back any minute now!" As if she had said the magic words, the Skiddo bounded away from the alley, and she watched until they were out of her sight.

Augustine moved over to the van and looked in the back of it. It was empty. "So those were the only Pokemon they brought," he noted.

"But there's no telling how many are down there," said Serena, indicating the open hole in the ground. "I'm going to investigate. You can come with me or go home and wait, I don't really care." She moved over to the hole and saw the top of a ladder attached to it. She turned around and crawled backwards, dipping her feet into the hole until they found the cold metal rung of the ladder. She promptly began her descent.

"This is one hell of a date," Augustine muttered as he followed her.

* * *

When Serena disembarked from the ladder, she found herself in a steely white hallway, with bright white lights illuminating the area, and smelling faintly of sewage. The hallway stretched ahead of her for several dozen yards, before turning a soft left. There were no doorways in the initial stretch.

"Right under our noses . . . how long did they spend building this out of a sewer?" Augustine wondered as he looked around.

"Who knows?" Serena walked forward slowly, surveying the area, with Augustine by her side. "I mean, Café Lysandre was closed shortly after I helped Looker catch Xerosic, and the labs were shut down, so . . . ." She pulled Greninja's Pokeball off her belt, clutching it tightly in her hand. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Augustine fumble at his belt before choosing a Pokeball as well.

"I wonder what this place is?" he asked, noting the lack of anything happening in this hallway.

Serena was scanning the floor. "Who knows . . . I'm half expecting to accidentally step on a warp platform or one of those tiles that sends you zooming across the room."

The two of them rounded the corner, finding themselves in another stretch of hallway; one door was found on the right side of the hall. Serena went up to the door and turned the knob. It swung open, revealing the inside to her.

"Augustine," she gestured for him to come closer to her, not tearing her eyes away from what she was seeing as she walked in cautiously.

The inside of this room was illuminated with a cold white light. Walls were lined with cages of Pokemon that were asleep, huddled in the corner of their cages, or striking at the glass that kept them imprisoned. A steel examination table stood in the middle of the room, next to a boxy machine that was very similar to the one Augustine had recently acquired. The electrode connected to this machine was embedded between the closed eyes of a Solrock lying motionless on the examination table. Rolling tables in the corner of the room held forms covered by white sheets. Serena walked over to one of the tables and lifted up a sheet to see what was under it, and her stomach dropped when she saw what looked like the blackened and bloody remains of a Bunnelby. The Pokemon had two holes in its forehead, each the approximate diameter and circumference of the electrodes currently inside the Solrock.

She threw the sheet back over the Bunnelby and jumped back, her hand flying up to her mouth to suppress a gasp.

"What is it?" asked Augustine as he approached the table. He lifted the sheet, saw the Bunnelby, and then tossed the sheet back before turning to Serena. His face was twisted into a disturbed grimace.

"Those _monsters,_" she hissed, unable to shake the image from her head. She felt like she could vomit, if her stomach had anything in it worth ejecting.

Augustine glance past her towards the Solrock on the table, then over to the other caged Pokemon. "That – that's the same device there that I have at my lab," he realized, horrified.

"We have to tell the Governor about this," said Serena firmly.

"You won't get the chance." A woman's voice came from the doorway. Serena and Augustine turned and saw Malva, who was standing with her hands on her hips and an annoyed expression on her face.

"What's this? I leave for five minutes to use the restroom, and I have intruders!"

"Malva!" Serena exclaimed. "What are you doing to these Pokemon?"

Malva sauntered into the room, lazily tossing her pink hair behind her shoulders. "This, you runt, is a laboratory. We're trying to tap into a Pokemon's energy and capture it for usage."

"Why?" Serena demanded. She noticed a Pokeball clutched in one of Malva's hands.

"It's a potential source of renewable energy for Kalos! That is, once we figure out how to keep the Pokemon from dying."

Serena took a step towards Malva. "This is barbaric."

"Ugh, you and your self-righteousness, I forgot how that annoyed me so," groaned Malva. "What's wrong, Serena? You can't handle that Team Flare is trying to do something good for the world that doesn't involve genocide?"

While the two women exchanged words and glares, Augustine moved away from the computer to the Solrock lying unconscious on the steel table, and began removing the wires from its body.

"Not so fast, Professor!" Malva snarled. She threw her Pokeball, releasing her Pyroar. "Pyroar, stop him."

Pyroar roared and reared back, preparing to pounce on Augustine. Serena flung forward the Pokeball in her hand, releasing Greninja.

"Greninja, use Water Shuriken!" she commanded.

While the attack missed and flew into the wall, it led Pyroar to hop off to the side. Augustine finished disconnecting Solrock and looked to Serena. While Malva directed her Pyroar to attack Greninja, Serena quickly dug through her bag, only to find that she was out of Revives. "Sorry, I used my last two on those Skiddo. Greninja, use Hydro Pump!"

Greninja's next attack took Pyroar out. Talonflame followed, landing a blow using Brave Bird before being fainted by a well-placed Hydro Pump. Torkoal was not even given an opportunity to attack, having fallen after one hit. Chandelure managed to use Confuse Ray and Shadow Ball in the midst of being struck by multiple Water Shurikens.

"You never cease to infuriate me," Malva hissed as she called back her fainted Chandelure. "But this isn't over. Soon all of Team Flare will know you're here, and there will be no escape." She backed out of the room before running down the hallway.

"We need to get out of here," Augustine said urgently. He started for the door, but stopped when he noticed Serena had run toward the caged Pokemon. She started by pressing random four-digit sequences on the panels; when that didn't work, she kicked the glass doors of the cages with all her might, only to find that they did not budge for her.

"Serena, there's no time," said Augustine as she released Lucario.

"We can't just leave them!" she protested. Shouts could be heard from down the hall.

"They're on their way. Come on!"

Serena bit her lip, and gazed at each of the caged Pokemon apologetically. "Perhaps some other time," she murmured, "If you live that long." She recalled Lucario and dashed for the door and out into the hall, Augustine running next to her.

"Where would you have kept those Pokemon anyway? They won't fit in your apartment, and there's no room for them at the lab either," said Augustine as they ran.

"I'd have figured something out," Serena told him. "I always do." She looked over her shoulder to see three Team Flare grunts in their wake.

The ladder taking them back up to the surface was only feet away. As Augustine climbed up, Serena released Greninja, whom she directed to let loose another Hydro Pump. The attack sent the grunts flying backwards, leaving them soaking wet and lying in a small flood.

Serena recalled Greninja and scrambled back up the ladder. Once back on the surface, she pushed the manhole cover back into place, and Augustine brought out his Garchomp to stand on top of the manhole cover.

"I'm going to alert the authorities," he announced, pulling out his Holo Caster.

"Should I go grab Emma? She's right around the corner," offered Serena, pointing in the general direction of the Looker Bureau.

Sirens could be heard not too far away from them.

"That's odd . . . I haven't even called them yet," observed Augustine as he noticed the sirens.

"There's no guarantee that they're coming here," said Serena.

The sirens were coming closer to their location. Soon after, a procession of five police officers on motorbikes, as well as a sleek black car behind them, arrived in the alleyway.

"_She_ called the police?" Augustine said in disbelief.

At that moment, something from below ground hit the manhole cover, causing it to shake with such force that Garchomp inadvertently stepped off of it. The cover popped into the air, landing next to the opening of the manhole. A matter of seconds later, a Weavile had ambled its way up the ladder. Weavile located Garchomp, then shot an Ice Beam at the Dragon-type. Garchomp was hit square in the chest; once the attack had ceased, he fell forward, an icy patch still lingering on his body.

"_Merde_," Augustine cursed as he returned his fainted Pokemon to his Pokeball.

Serena grabbed Ampharos's ball, but the arrival of the police motorbikes distracted her. All of the drivers stopped their vehicles right at the entrance of the alleyway. The leader of them stepped off their bike and removed their helmet, revealing a head of bright red hair.

"Ah, Miss Carlyle. We meet again," Police Chief Renshaw spoke in her icy voice.

Serena pursed her lips. "Your timing's impeccable, Chief . . . but you're not here for me, are you?" she asked.

"Oh, you are a clever one!" said Renshaw in a patronizing tone.

The front passenger side door of the car opened, and Serena saw a sleek black dress shoe step out. A bald man, dressed in a red-and-black suit, stepped forward.

"She's not the only one," said Alexandre Teleurac as he approached her.

Serena's mouth dropped open slightly.

"Ah, Professor Sycamore! I expected her to be meddling in our business, but not you!" Teleurac turned his attention to Augustine, whose eyes were wide and whose mouth also hung open in dumbfounded speechlessness.

"I kind of dragged him along with me," Serena said, seeing the look on Augustine's face. She could hazard a guess at what was happening in his mind right now as he found out who it was he was truly working for over the last week.

"Is that so?" asked Teleurac, his gaze shifting to her. "You know what they say . . . curiosity killed the Delcatty. When you told me you had suspicions of Team Flare returning, I knew our operations would have to become more covert. If it weren't for those fools," he nodded his head to the grunts still sleeping near the van, "perhaps we would have never been found out. But now you know . . . so what am I to do?"

Serena reached at her belt to grab a Pokeball.

"Now now, Serena, don't be so hasty. Perhaps we can talk, and I will tell you everything we are planning to do. You should come along as well, Professor, because this applies to you." Teleurac gestured to his car and walked back to it. Serena and Augustine looked at one another, communicating their uncertainty nonverbally, before stepping forward to follow him.


	10. Chapter 10

**TEN**

Serena expected Teleurac's office to have a red-and-black theme to its décor, similar to what Café Lysandre had. Instead, the walls were off-white and adorned with portraits of notable figures in Kalos's history, including a print of "The King, the Pokemon, and the Key" that hung next to a portrait of a young girl with a Vulpix. The Governor's desk was kept orderly, and there was a liquor cabinet nearby along the wall.

Teleurac stood behind his chair as Serena and Augustine stood across the desk from him. Once the three of them were in position, the Flare grunts that had followed them up closed the door with themselves on the outside.

"Would either of you like something to drink?" he offered, gesturing to the liquor cabinet.

"No thanks," Serena rejected his offer, her voice flat.

"Professor?"

Augustine shook his head.

"Well then," continued Teleurac as he sat down in his chair. "Serena, I'm pleased that you have chosen to act as a mature adult right now, rather than the rash teenager you were three years ago. Sometimes it pays to stop, talk it out, and think before rushing into action.

"First off, I want you to know that Team Flare stands for something entirely different today than it did three years ago. Sure, the world is still plagued with greedy, destructive human beings that are slowly destroying the world. Lysandre was right about that. But unlike Lysandre, I believe people can change. Don't get me wrong, I admire the man greatly. To be so devoted to an idea that you would die for it . . . that's the kind of person we should all aspire to be."

Serena noticed Augustine tense up at the mention of Lysandre. She wanted to reach out and hold his hand in an attempt to comfort him, but she didn't out of fear for how Teleurac would react to that sign of affection.

"So when can we expect that weapon to pop out of the ground again?" inquired Serena, still not believing what he had to say.

"_Ma chérie_, I would not stoop to that. It is my job to protect Kalos, not destroy it," replied Teleurac, swiveling slightly in his chair.

"I believe in making the world a better place for both people and Pokemon, but firing off a weapon to kill millions of innocents is hardly a sustainable way to go about it. There is a way to ensure plentiful resources for future generations, and we are dedicated to finding it. See, these rations on food, water, and electricity aren't because I enjoy watching people suffer as they go without less. We are rapidly running out of fresh water. Food supply can't keep up with the demand placed upon it by a growing population. Generating electricity for all of Kalos at the Power Plant costs a great deal of natural resources. They'll run out soon, and until we find a more renewable source of energy, we have to make what we have last longer."

"From what I saw in your facility, Governor, it doesn't look like Pokemon are a very good source of renewable energy," Augustine commented disdainfully.

"That's because they keep dying during tests. Professor, starting tomorrow, I want you to help Mable find a way to maximize energy output from Pokemon without killing them." Teleurac said to Augustine.

"No," said Augustine defiantly. "What I saw was inhumane and I refuse to take part in it."

"Is that so?" asked Teleurac coolly. "Need I remind you that you work for me?"

"Then I quit."

Teleurac laughed softly and menacingly. "Go right ahead, Professor, but keep in mind that the only reason your lab is still open is by my good grace. I can justify keeping your energy-costly facilities open to the public if there's government-funded research happening there. You refuse to work for me, and I'll have it shut down. Everyone who works under you will be without a job. Think of Sophie, who has two children to feed. Think of how poorly you would be repaying Sina and Dexio, who dedicate their whole lives to helping you with your research. And what about all the young people who set out to become Pokemon Trainers? Where would they meet their first Pokemon, if not at your lab? Ah, that's right – you have Pokemon in your lab, don't you? They'd have to live on the street with the Skiddo and be vulnerable to those gangs that –"

"Oh, shut up!" Serena snapped. She could see how Augustine's hands were shaking at his sides.

"I'm sorry?" Teleurac eyed her.

"You heard me." Serena's voice shook with indignation, and she heard Augustine hiss her name in disapproval, as if he was telling her to stop before she did something she would regret later. She leaned forward towards Teleurac, placing her hands on his desk and glaring at him.

Teleurac sighed. "Oh Serena," he said, sounding disappointed, "Why are you so intent on hating me? Are you still so blinded by hatred of the very idea of Team Flare that you'll get in the way of progress?"

"Progress? _Progress?_ Treating Bernard Lecroux the way he was treated is not progress – that's something out of the Dark Ages! And so is experimenting on Pokemon!"

"A wise man once said that the ends justify the means," replied Teleurac.

Serena wanted to tell him that this so-called 'wise man' was full of Tauros excrement, but she didn't once she felt Augustine's eyes on her. Instead, she clenched her teeth and continued to look at Teleurac contemptuously.

"I hope one day you'll see that I'm not the monster you think I am," said Teleurac civilly. "I don't like that Pokemon are suffering and dying any more than you, but at the same time some sacrifices have to be made."

Silence fell. Serena stepped away from the desk, backing up to be at Augustine's side. Augustine had his head bowed, and his hands were stuffed into his pockets. She saw how his brow was furrowed as he stared at his shoes in frustrated and disillusioned thought.

"I am glad we could have this discussion, even though you still seem unconvinced, Serena." Teleurac finally said. He stood up and walked to the door, opening it once he got there.

"Come along, you two."

Serena and Augustine followed Teleurac back out to his car, getting in the back seat while the Governor rode shotgun.

Inside the car, there was a faint smell of cigarette smoke mixed with musky cologne that clung to the smooth seats of the car. The air around everyone was tense during the car ride, and nobody spoke. Serena's eyes darted between Teleurac (who was speaking to his driver in low whispers) and Augustine, who was alternating his gaze between her and the window. She kept wondering what was going to happen next, and if he was taking her back to her apartment, to prison, or somewhere else entirely.

"So much for dinner," Augustine muttered, leaning his head back against the seat and sighing after he spoke.

"I'm free tomorrow," Serena answered in a hushed tone. She saw in the rearview mirror how Teleurac's eyes flicked up to look at her when she spoke.

"Maybe," she added hastily. It all depended on what was going to happen next; the uncertainty of it all made her stomach twist into knots.

The car soon pulled up alongside the curb near Serena's apartment building. The driver put the car in park, and Teleurac stepped out. He walked around to the back and opened the door next to Serena.

"Here we are, Serena. Say good night to Professor Sycamore."

Serena turned to Augustine and rose her hand up in a short, awkward wave. "Well, good night," she said uncertainly.

Augustine nodded, forcing out a small smile. "Good night to you too, Serena. Until next time."

Teleurac reached into the car and cupped Serena's elbow so he could gently pull her out into the road. He shut the door behind him and walked into the building, still maintaining his hold on her arm.

"What are you going to do to him?" Serena asked him quietly.

"Nothing," said Teleurac as he opened the door into the deserted lobby. "And I'm not going to do anything to you either . . . as long as you cooperate." He led her to the elevator and ushered her inside.

_"Cooperate?" _ she asked, dread and uneasiness rising up inside of her.

"Yes. It won't be hard," replied Teleurac as he pressed a button to send the elevator up to the fourth floor. "Be a good law-abiding citizen. Go about your daily life, and don't cause any trouble or spread any rumors. Kalos doesn't need to be launched into the same irrational paranoia about Team Flare that you're currently experiencing."

Serena continued to scowl at him.

"Why would you want to cause trouble? Why make your family and friends to worry about you? Why make poor, sweet, dear Augustine worry about you? Of course I know about you and him, Serena. It's in every tabloid. And I know he doesn't like the idea of experimenting on Pokemon the way I want him to, but he'll realize one day it's all for the greater good – unless, of course, you make unnecessary waves. There may just be a tragic accident at Sycamore Laboratories, with one fatality."

The elevator door opened with a _ding_. Serena paid no attention; instead, she swiftly slapped Teleurac across the face with all her might. He smirked, and turned his head back to face her. She saw the pink imprint on his cheek that was the same shape and size as her hand.

"Don't do that again," he hissed threateningly.

"Don't threaten people I care about." Serena snapped.

Teleurac grabbed her by the arm again and ushered her out of the elevator. "Which apartment is yours?"

Serena pointed down the hall, at the door on the very end. The two of them began walking that way.

"How about this," Teleurac leaned in closer to whisper in her ear, "You uphold your end, and I'll uphold mine. Do everything as I say, _exactly_, and nobody gets hurt. Do we have an agreement?"

His words sent chills down her spine. She stopped walking, leading him to halt as well, and she studied his face or a moment. Beyond the threatening demeanor, she couldn't tell how sincere he was being.

"We have an agreement," she finally said, feeling defeated.

"_Bien_," he said, his mouth curving into an insincere smile.

He finished walking her to the front door of her apartment. From there, she got out her key and began to unlock the front door.

"Have a good evening, Serena," said Teleurac before he turned to leave.

Once inside her apartment, Serena locked the door behind her, placed her computer bag on the couch, and went to take a shower to get the smell of sweat, sewage, and Teleurac's car off her body. She spent the rest of the night lying awake on her bed, distracted by replays of her conversations with Teleurac in her mind – the very thing she was trying to avoid.

He had to be hiding something, she reasoned. If Team Flare intended to be perfectly benign, why not go public and announce who they truly were? What else was in that underground facility, and why was it even underground?

She grabbed her Holo Caster and called Augustine. He did not answer.


	11. Chapter 11

**ELEVEN**

Aside from a trip to the Pokemon Center to swap out Haunter for Eevee, Serena spent much of the next day in her apartment. She watched TV, played with Eevee, and continued work on her paper. While out and about previously, she had noticed that there were a few police officers outside her apartment building, outside the Pokemon Center, and outside Sycamore Laboratories.

Shauna called once to ask to borrow notes for class, and seemed surprised that Serena was spending a relatively nice day (it was sunny and the temperature was cool and pleasing) cooped up inside her apartment.

"I'm studying really hard right now. Two quizzes next week." Serena used that as her excuse.

_"And you're not having your new boyfriend help you study?"_

Serena blushed. "We aren't officially calling ourselves boyfriend and girlfriend yet. But . . . his job for the government is taking up a lot of his time."

In truth, Serena did not know if Augustine was working that weekend, or even where he was. She had gone by the Pokemon Center on South Boulevard to retrieve Eevee, just so she could get a peek at any activity in the lab, but inside Sophie had told her that he had not been in at all that day. On her way back, she stopped by his apartment, knocked several times, and then jiggled the doorknob to find that it was locked. She left him messages every two hours, but never got a response. The version of studying she had done consisted of staring at her notes, unable to absorb any information, because her mind was somewhere else completely.

Her gut reaction was to assume the worst: Teleurac was keeping him locked up to ensure her cooperation. Realizing that line of thought was perhaps unwarranted, she remembered that he was supposed to be in some top secret meeting with the other Team Flare scientists.

Around eight o'clock Saturday night, her Holo Caster rang. It was a pre-recorded message from Augustine, whose holographic image looked tired.

_"Serena, I'm sorry I haven't been able to return your calls. I've been in meetings and in and out of laboratories all day. Mable wants me to stay here and work on this experiment until midnight, maybe later – depends on whether or not she's happy with the results. It's exhausting! Anyway, I'm supposed to be off tomorrow. If you want to come over to my place, there's a spare key under the welcome mat. _Bonne nuit, ma chérie. _Don't study too hard."_

"Aw," Serena cooed sympathetically as the message finished playing. Eevee, who was sitting at her feet under the kitchen table, looked up at her curiously, thinking that she was talking to him. She bent down and picked up Eevee, holding him in her lap as she reread the section of paper she had just typed.

* * *

Serena arrived at his apartment at midmorning the next day, with a leashed Eevee in tow. One hand held a drink carrier with two cups of coffee, and a bag of breakfast pastries from a nearby café was in the other hand.

She used the spare key mentioned in his message to go inside, and took care to lock the door behind her. While she tried to walk through the living room quietly, Eevee was scampering about, sniffing at everything, exploring this environment that was new to him. Eevee's insistence on checking out every nook and cranny of the living room made it hard for Serena to reach the kitchen, so she set the food, coffee, and her bag down on the coffee table while she let the Pokemon off his leash.

"Can you sit still here?" she whispered, crouching down so she could be closer to Eevee's level. Eevee sat down obediently.

"Good boy," she said approvingly, reaching into the bag and pulling out a lemon-flavored Pokepuff. She handed it to Eevee, who gobbled it up happily.

From there, Serena tiptoed to the back of the apartment, where she peeked inside Augustine's bedroom. He was lying on his stomach on top of a perfectly made bed, and his head was inches away from the nearest pillow. In addition, he was still fully dressed – he had even forgotten to take off his shoes the night before.

Serena chastised herself for not calling ahead to make sure he was awake first. But before she could turn back, Augustine rolled over and lazily started to push himself into a sitting position.

"This is a pleasant surprise," he said groggily upon seeing Serena, gazing at her through half-open eyes.

"I brought breakfast," she replied.

"Ah, _tu es magnifique._ Let me put on something more comfortable . . . and I'll just take it here in bed."

Serena went back into the living room and grabbed the bag of pastries and the coffee. She waited outside his bedroom until he called for her to come in.

"What did you bring me?" Augustine had changed into a gray T-shirt and purple sweatpants. He was sitting on his bed, leaning back against the headboard.

"Just the breakfast pastries from Café Introversion, and the strongest black coffee they had to offer," she told him as she walked over to his side. She set down the drink carrier on the nightstand and began to reach into the paper bag, but then Augustine patted the space on the bed next to him, inviting her to join him. She accepted the invitation, and distributed pastries while sitting next to him.

"You take good care of me, Serena," he said gratefully, running his fingertips over her shoulder.

"Eh, it's what I do, remember? Professor works late into the night, friend of professor brings breakfast the next morning because the professor is prone to skip meals when he has a lot to do." Serena responded, acting like it wasn't a big deal.

A small bark was heard from the living room.

"Oh! I brought Eevee. Hope you don't mind," she mentioned apologetically.

"No, not at all," said Augustine. He then whistled loudly; a few seconds later, Eevee had trotted into the bedroom and hopped up onto the bed, sitting himself cozily between the two humans.

Augustine ate silently, his eyes staring out into space. Serena watched him with concern for a while, before Eevee began pawing at her leg and she had to tell him that there was only one Pokepuff for him. Eevee looked at her with big, pleading eyes, as if his begging could magically make another Pokepuff appear.

"Something bothering you?" Serena asked Augustine after he let out a sigh.

"Everything's bothering me," he confessed, reaching out his hand to lay on Eevee's back and absentmindedly stroke the Pokemon's fur. "The things I saw yesterday . . . how did those scientists ever pass their ethics courses at university?"

Serena shook her head.

"They have other Pokemon in that underground facility, besides the ones we saw. And they were all malnourished and left to sit in their own waste inside their cages . . . none of them understood why this was happening to them. The scientists didn't even have the common courtesy to carry out experiments in a space away from where the Pokemon were being housed, so they all had to watch the experiments, and be terrified, and wonder when it would be their turn to suffer and die like that." He gulped down some coffee, and closed his eyes as Serena began rubbing his back soothingly.

"I told Teleurac that one condition I insisted on was more humane treatment of those Pokemon. If they were better cared for, we could get more out of them. He seemed pleased with that line of reasoning."

Serena clenched her hand into a fist. "Maybe I need to make another visit down there," she said.

"No you don't. If you free those Pokemon, they'll just go out and catch more. Besides, Teleurac told me that he has people watching you closely."

"Of course he does," said Serena bitterly, thinking about the abundance of police officers she had encountered the previous day. "But why does he insist on keeping so many secrets, and having people watch me, if he is really oh-so noble?"

"I know why," said Augustine shortly.

Serena leaned closer to him, expecting him to tell her everything. However, Augustine shook his head in denial, and pulled down the collar of his shirt to show a small microphone taped to his chest.

"It's classified, though," he added.

Once the shock of seeing the microphone wore off, Serena mouthed "Write it down?" to him. Augustine shook his head again and mouthed back "Not telling you."

"And please, Serena, don't go snooping around. Promise me you won't. I don't need the added stress in my life." Augustine pleaded, taking care to speak clearly and loudly. He pointed to his chest, at the approximate location where the microphone was taped.

"Fine. I promise," said Serena reluctantly. Making Augustine wear that wire must have been a way in which Teleurac could ensure that she stay out of trouble – she could hardly say no to Augustine, after all, especially when he used the human equivalent of Baby Doll Eyes on her, followed by a grateful smile after she made her promise.

"_Merci_," he said. "Now, what do you have planned for today? Anything exciting?"

"No, not really. I was just going to study and watch TV," answered Serena. "You?"

"The same, but perhaps we can do all of that while enjoying one another's company." Augustine reached over to the nightstand, grabbed the remote, and turned on the TV to a news channel. The current story was about the owner of Sushi High Roller being arrested after he refused to comply with the new policies regarding food quality and quantity. What followed was coverage of the arrests of workers at the Power Plant, and then a story about Wikstrom of the Elite Four offering a seminar on training Steel-type Pokemon. When commercials aired, he flipped through channels until he found a movie starring Diantha as an explorer in Johto.

"I here she's filming a commercial for the Governor," he commented idly.

"Promoting more 'environmentally-friendly' living?" asked Serena, recalling how Teleurac mentioned the possibility of her starring in such a commercial.

Augustine nodded, following up with a yawn. Strong coffee was evidently not working this morning.

By the time the movie was over, Augustine had scooted closer to Serena (leading Eevee to move to the edge of the bed) and draped an arm around her shoulders. She didn't mind, and even welcomed it when he pulled her in so that her head was leaning against his shoulder.

"You said you had studying to do?" he inquired as the credits began rolling.

"That's right," she breathed, "I have two quizzes coming up: one in biochemistry and one in Modern Kalosian History."

"It's a good thing that you have a scientist and certified Pokemon expert sitting next to you," said Augustine. "It'll be like a study date – I'll even make you dinner like I promised the other night. And you still need to let me look over your paper on Charizard and Mega Evolution."

"Um . . . ." Serena shrugged. "I didn't bring my notes or my computer with me."

"You can go grab them later tonight while I cook," he offered before changing the channel again. He settled on a show dedicated to exploring the world's different ecosystems and the Pokemon that lived there. This episode in particular featured Kanto's Mt. Moon and the vast caverns inside it; the current scene depicted a group of Clefairy dancing around a giant Moon Stone.

Serena snorted in amusement. "Your idea for a date is helping me study?"

"You want to do well in school. I want you to do well in school, and I want to make you a delicious dinner, and I want to spend lots of time with you. After all, you are my girl- wait, are you all right with me calling you my girlfriend? Because I don't know what we are, exactly. We like each other, have for a while now, and we're definitely more than friends, so . . . ."

Serena smirked. "Augustine, if you call me your girlfriend," she began, "I may have to start calling you my boyfriend."

"Oh the horror!" Augustine laughed heartily as he leaned in and gently kissed her on the cheek.

* * *

Later that evening, after her paper was perfect according to him, Augustine walked Serena back to her apartment. Instead of content blissful quiet this time, Serena still argued about some of the changes he made.

"I'm just saying, it's my paper. I think I should be able to give it a fun, witty title if I want to."

"Serena, 'Charizard the Mega-Pseudo-Dragon' is hardly professional-sounding. If you're serious about pursuing science as a career, boring titles that describe the subject of the paper are the place to start," Augustine reminded her.

"But 'Analysis of the Differences in Typing Physiology of Charizard and Mega Charizard X?' _Really_? Where's the pizzazz? The fun? I'd rather read about a Mega-Pseudo-Dragon, personally."

"When you have your doctorate, _chérie_, you can rewrite all the conventions you want. But right now, you'll do well to play by established rules."

The two of them reached the front door of her apartment before they knew it.

"Well, Augustine, thanks for helping me out. You may need to provide titles for my papers in the future so I know they're good," said Serena as she dug in her bag for her keys. "Um, especially after you had such a crummy day at work yesterday. Thanks so much."

"Anytime." Augustine smiled. He began to lean his head forward, but then he drew back and looked to the side as his cheeks turned pink.

"Serena . . . um . . . I-uh . . . hm. Could I – perhaps – kiss you? On the mouth, that is. You know, like a good-night kiss?" he asked nervously, looking down at his feet and scratching the back of his head.

She grinned, finding it adorable that he was asking for permission to kiss her. Her eyes gazed upon his lips briefly, and she wondered how they would feel against her own – wonderful, most likely.

"Augustine," she began as she took a step closer to him, "If you kiss me, I will kiss you back."

He giggled briefly, and his cheeks grew pinker.

Serena raised herself up on her tiptoes, placing her hands on Augustine's shoulders to steady herself. As she tilted her head up to him, he tilted his down, and they slowly moved their faces closer to one another, reveling in the anticipation. Finally, their lips met. She felt his hands rest on her waist, touching her with only minimal pressure. His lips were as she imagined they would be, soft and warm; that, combined with his closeness and the faint remains of his cologne from the previous day, all delighted her.

Augustine was the one to end the kiss when he slowly pulled his head back. Serena saw the awe and joy in his tired eyes, and the small smile on his face.

"We should make this a regular thing," she suggested, her voice soft and endearing. She would have to ask her mom or Shauna what the metaphorical "fireworks" felt like to them.

"I agree. One hundred percent."

Serena slid her hands off his shoulders, down his chest, and pulled them back to herself. She turned to the door of her apartment, intending to unlock it. Instead, she whipped around back to Augustine, raised herself up on her tiptoes, took his face into her hands, and kissed him again.

"See you tomorrow," she said as she pulled away.

"Good night, Serena," said Augustine with a big grin on his face. He walked backwards down the hall for a bit, not breaking eye contact with her, until he finally decided to turn around and see where he was going. She noticed a spring his step and she heard him whistle – it could have been real or imagined, but she didn't care. It wasn't until he had stepped into the elevator and waved to her one final time that she moved to enter her apartment.

Once she was inside, Serena locked the door and practically floated to her bedroom. She went through her pre-bedtime routine in a trance, and when her head hit the pillow sleep evaded her; she was too busy replaying her first kiss with Augustine in her head, over and over again.


	12. Chapter 12

**TWELVE**

In the middle of November, walls went up around Centrico Plaza. These walls, erected in a single day thanks to the efforts of construction workers and their various bulky Fighting-types, surrounded the entire plaza, and there was talk among the workers of starting work on the domed roof the following day.

Having finished her business in the small shop on Hibernal Avenue she was visiting, Serena and Eevee walked a little closer to the walls; she felt the eyes of a nearby police officer on her. For a moment, she wondered if the police knew why they were being ordered to keep a close eye on her, or if that officer in particular was secretly Team Flare just like Renshaw was.

One worker, after being flown over the wall onto Hibernal Avenue by his Fletchinder, posted a sign that read "Centrico Plaza has been CLOSED by Executive Order." When asked by a tourist why the Plaza was closed, the worker said that there was a construction project planned – one that would in no way compromise Prism Tower, he added, in hopes of placating the tourist's frustration. The tourist, still irate that she couldn't go take a picture of herself at the Tower, turned and walked away, grumbling something in her native tongue.

Serena sat down on a park bench, hoisted Eevee into her lap, and spent the next couple of hours watching people go by. During that time, several people stopped by to ask for autographs or pictures with her, all of which she obliged. Yet nobody she deemed to be of interest had gone to or from the walls in that span of time, so she got up to leave, taking a detour through Rouge Plaza.

With the sun setting and casting ethereal oranges and pinks on the Lumiose skyline, Serena found the alley by the Looker Bureau and walked through it slowly, cradling Eevee close to her chest. She found it odd that there was nobody in this alley, not even Team Flare grunts or police or street-prowling hooligans.

The manhole was there, with its cover in place as usual. She returned Eevee to his Pokeball, lifted one end of the cover and began dragging it out of the way, only to see that underneath the cover, a foot down into the ground, was nothing but solid concrete. Disappointed, she let out a huff and put the cover back in place. Almost immediately after she stood back up, her Holo Caster beeped.

_"We're still on for dinner, right_?" Augustine asked her.

"Oh - yeah! Of course! I was doing some shopping, and then I ran into some fans, and – yeah. I'm on my way. Please don't let dinner get cold."

_"Serena, _chérie,_ I just put it in the oven. It should be ready by the time you get here. See you soon."_

When Augustine ended the call, Serena gazed at the manhole cover one last time. "Well played, Teleurac," she murmured.

* * *

On his way to sit down on the couch, Augustine grabbed a box of matches out of the kitchen. He used them to light candles he had positioned on the coffee table, relying on them to illuminate the area while the electric lights were turned off for the evening.

"Nice mood lighting," Serena commented once she emerged from the bathroom.

Augustine reached out to her, the palm of his hand open. She placed her hand in his, and he gently pulled her closer as she sat next to him.

"You think so?" he said, letting go of her hand so his arm could snake its way around her waist.

"_Oui. C'est très romantique."_

"Someone's been practicing," said Augustine as he leaned over to give her a kiss. Serena giggled in response, pleased that her work on pronouncing Kalosian words had not gone unnoticed.

She grabbed her Holo Caster off the table and opened a web browser to a blog providing coverage for a Pokemon battle tournament.

"Checking the progress on the Kanto tournament?" asked Augustine.

"Yeah." Serena said as she started reading the latest blog post. "The guy I'm pulling for has an . . . unconventional style. I don't think I've ever seen anyone try to use a ticket for a cruise liner in a battle before. But he's got a huge following and everyone loves his Pokemon . . . his Omastar has even been raised to god-like status . . . Gosh, I wish this tournament was being broadcast here in Kalos – he won! His Venomoth took down the opponent's last Dragonite! And I missed it! Look at this, Augustine." She shoved her Holo Caster into his face and gave him a moment to read the blog post.

"Impressive," he said.

"That was the last battle of the day, so . . . ." Serena closed the web browser and stuck her Holo Caster in her pocket. Her eyes caught the flame of one of the candles; this one in particular was shaped like Prism Tower, and her mind started to wander.

"You know, I saw something peculiar today while I was out. Centrico Plaza's been walled off, by executive order apparently. Do you know anything about that?" she inquired innocently, twirling a lock of his hair between her fingers.

"I might," said Augustine. He pointed to her pocket. She pulled her Holo Caster back out and placed it in his outstretched hand.

"A park is going to be built around Prism Tower," said Augustine, taking care to clearly enunciate every word. On the Holo Caster, he created a new text message and typed something into it before handing it back to Serena.

_He's building a device inside Prism Tower._

"What kind of park?" asked Serena. She took her Holo Caster back and typed her own sentence: _What kind of device?_

"Nothing spectacular. Flowers, fountains, playgrounds for children and small Pokemon, that kind of thing. Construction won't begin until he figures out a name for it." Augustine took the Holo Caster back, read what she had typed, and then typed something else into the next line.

_Need-to-know basis. Right now I don't know._

"He could just call it the 'Look-at-me-I'm-a-Gogoat's-ass' Garden."

Her comment earned a brief laugh from Augustine.

_I learn of his plan piece-by-piece. The only perk of this job._ Augustine typed into the Holo Caster.

_Know his endgame?_ Serena added.

_Also need-to-know basis. _

She huffed. _Gonna keep digging?_

_That's the plan. I'll let you know if I learn anything else._

"You look beautiful tonight, Serena," he said as he typed out that sentence. "I could wile away countless hours just gazing upon your face." Again, he was careful to speak clearly, but maintain a smooth, enamoring tone.

"Oh!" Serena's cheeks flushed. She watched him point to his chest, at the spot where the microphone was taped. "You flatter me, Augustine, you handsome devil." She typed: _I thought you weren't going to tell me anything!_

"I only speak the truth, _ma belle,_" he added while taking the Holo Caster from her and typing: _Changed my mind. _

She took the device back and added: _Any places where I can snoop around and 'stumble' on a new entrance into their facility?_

Augustine shook his head before inputting his response: _We teleport in and out using Abra. New place to meet it each day. He calls me and tells me where it will be that morning. Can't tell you since everything I send and receive on the Holo Caster is being monitored. Yours is too._

"Anyway . . . um . . ." Serena searched her mind for thing to talk about while Augustine typed. "My Dragon-type Physiology instructor hated your title for the paper. She said it didn't sound like something I would come up with."

"_Really?"_ he said.

"Yeah. I guess I'll just have to stick with 'Charizard the Mega-Pseudo-Dragon,' scientific propriety be damned." She leaned in to see what he had typed.

"If you go with that, I will break up with you." Augustine joked.

Serena sighed in disappointment, and she wished that whoever was listening on the other end of Augustine's wire thought her sigh was in response to his threat to dump her.

"Fine. I'll keep your boring proper-sounding title if it'll spare your feelings."

After deleting the text message they had been using to nonverbally communicate, Augustine found a website that streamed TV shows, and he and Serena watched a few episodes of a sitcom starring a talking Espurr and its long-suffering Trainer. Sitcom episodes turned into a movie, followed by another movie, during which they fell asleep together on the couch.

* * *

November transitioned easily into December, which brought colder weather, the occasional snowfall, and the holiday season. Lumiose City went all-out when it came to decorating for Christmas: street lamps were wrapped with garlands, storefront windows boasted paper cutouts of snowflakes, holiday music played everywhere, and Delibird would roam the streets, giving out small gifts of candy to passerby. However, one noticeable decoration was missing this year.

"It's just not the same without the lights!" Shauna complained. She, Serena, and the three boys were standing in front of Hotel Richissme, which in years past had hosted a spectacular display of Christmas lights. This year, though, there were only garlands and barely decorated Christmas trees in front of the hotel.

"I know, but think of how much energy we waste on frivolous things like Christmas lights! Who needs to make memories with your friends when there's a world that needs saving?" Serena replied in a mockingly pompous tone.

"Wouldn't it have been a great picture, Shauna? You and me in front of the Richissme in all its lit up splendor, commemorating our first Christmas as a couple," said Calem wistfully as he wrapped an arm around Shauna's shoulders.

Serena looked away from Calem and Shauna, establishing eye contact with Tierno. She smiled congenially at her friend.

"So, when's your show again?" she asked him; she remembered, but she was fishing for conversation starters.

"Christmas Eve, at Restaurant Le Yeah! You'll be there, right?" Tierno replied.

"You bet! And I'll personally make sure that Aug- I mean, Professor Sycamore comes. I won't let him cancel on you like he did on all of us tonight." Serena said, unsure of whether or not her other friends were on a first-name basis with the Professor.

"His government job really eats up his time," commented Trevor. "He barely has time to oversee my group's projects anymore."

Serena's Holo Caster beeped. It was a text message from Emma.

_Serena, you'll never believe what I saw yesterday. Three guys in red Team Flare suits were in the alleyway behind Café Triste! I followed them to see where they were going, but they just disappeared without a trace. No sign of them anywhere, and no place where I think they could have vanished. I called Mr. Looker and told him, so maybe he'll come back here once he's done in Unova to help us out. Maybe the three of us can investigate what's happening together!_

This sighting by Emma was the first Serena had seen or heard about any Team Flare activity in Lumiose since the walls went up around Centrico Plaza. She personally had not seen anybody in red suits roaming around alleyways, or even encountered an Abra anywhere in the city since she learned that they were how people now got to and from the underground facility. At least while her attempts at snooping around had been unsuccessful, someone else had picked up on what was happening.

"Who was that from?" asked Shauna.

"It was from Emma," answered Serena as she stashed her Holo Caster. "She may want my help on a developing case."

"She's the cute detective girl, right?" Tierno inquired.

Before Serena could answer, her Holo Caster beeped again. Her expression soured when she saw Teleurac's holographic image pop out of the device.

"_Greetings, Citizens of Kalos,_" Teleurac began, _"You will notice that this message is only coming to select people. Receivers have been selected at random, and we are doing this to conserve power and money that would be spent sending it to every device. If you are receiving this broadcast, please invite others to come closer to you, because what I have to say is for everyone. I will give you one minute to do so."_

"You heard the man. Gather around, everyone." Serena ordered her friends. Her mind raced with possibilities of what Teleurac could possibly want to discuss.

_ "Thank you. My fellow Kalosians, I would like to thank you very much for your efforts in protecting the environment. According to data that was just now compiled by the esteemed Professor Sycamore and his team of scientists, emissions of harmful gases into the atmosphere have decreased significantly over the past month, our water supply has less toxic chemicals in it, and we project that our food and water supplies can adequately sustain Kalos for another three generations. In addition, progress on exploring renewable energy sources is coming along. We are doing well, Kalos. And soon, more resources and effort will be put into bolstering our defenses."_

"I wonder what they're looking into," Trevor mused. Serena opened her mouth, considering answering, but out of the corner of her eye she saw two police officers standing in front of the hotel.

_ "I know many of you have been curious about the walls that have gone up around Centrico Plaza. Those walls are there as a construction project is currently underway. Hopefully in time to ring in the New Year, work on the Prism Park of Lumiose City will have been completed. It will be a place for all people and Pokemon to come together in harmony. In addition, solar panels will be installed in this park, and on Prism Tower. The solar energy captured here will afford us enough energy to be able to enjoy the light of Prism Tower in the evenings again._

_"It has been a great privilege and honor to serve as your Governor, Kalos. And it saddens me that malicious, untrue rumors about myself and my administration are spreading among you, as well as reaching foreign ears! Fellow Kalosians, our strength comes from our unity and striving for common goals. We cannot wholly tap into that strength if some of us believe any false murmurings they hear. Please pay no heed to any unfounded accusations directed towards the government, and if you are spreading such rumors, I ask you to cease and desist. Put your own selfish needs aside and think about how your fearmongering affects your peers. Thank you, Kalos, and good night."_

Teleurac's holographic image disappeared.

"Wow," said Calem. "I haven't heard any rumors going around."

Serena shrugged. "Well, I heard that he and lots of his people are the next generation of Team Flare," she said, keeping her voice low.

Tierno gasped. Shauna squeaked in surprise. Trevor whispered "No way." Calem just stared at her, dumbfounded.

"It's ridiculous, though," added Serena. "I'm not going to worry until another weapon of mass destruction pops out of the ground."

A glance over towards the hotel confirmed that the police officers there were paying no attention to her. She fought back the urge to smile in satisfaction once she surveyed her friends' expressions; they still looked as if they were flabbergasted by the idea, but perhaps the wheels in their heads were now turning. Her friends had a tendency to question and investigate, which had served Kalos and the world well three years ago and would hopefully do so again.


	13. Chapter 13

**THIRTEEN**

Although it was not what he had intended to retrieve, Augustine pulled a beaten-looking spiral notebook out of his desk's file cabinet once he noticed it was in there. This notebook, which had been in pristine condition a year ago, was now wrinkled and marked with coffee stains and a long black scar running diagonally down the front cover. The pages inside contained notes and pictures documenting how he and Serena raised his Garchomp, starting the day after a Gible followed him home from outside Coumarine City.

He flipped through the notebook, skimming over log entries written by both himself and Serena, spending slightly more time on her entries so he could trace his fingers over the small, neatly-lettered words she had imprinted on the page, trying to feel some connection with her. On the page opposite of one log entry was a picture of Augustine trying to teach Gible to play catch; the ball had sailed right over Gible's head, and the Pokemon was looking up with his mouth wide open in an attempt to catch it. She had captioned: "Good thing he decided to become a scientist and not a professional ball player!"

The caption made him chuckle, but then he felt a twinge of longing. His work for the Department required very long days, leaving precious little time for his own research, and the time he set aside to spend with Serena was slowly dwindling. In the past weeks, any evenings the two of them did spend together began later at night and usually resulted in an overnight stay by one of them. He had now left a spare set of pajamas at Serena's apartment, and she had left one at his.

Tonight, in particular, he hoped she didn't resent him too much for having to suddenly cancel plans to have dinner with her and her friends when Teleurac called him into work. At that moment, Teleurac was probably finishing up his address to the public, giving them statistics about cleaner air and water that were greatly embellished and not at all what the Professor had said they were, and lying to everybody about what was being built in Centrico Plaza.

The lab was kept open and not shut down for being too big a drain on power, but the price Augustine paid was his compliance in the suffering and death of countless Pokemon. He may not have been administering the electrical shocks himself, but he stood by and let it happen as he recorded and analyzed data, telling himself that at least now the Pokemon were no longer kept in cages and had plenty to eat as they waited their turn for experimentation. However, none of that justified what was being done to those Pokemon, or why, and the scant information he had gathered on Teleurac's true plans was hardly worth it to him.

* * *

On the day before Christmas Eve, Augustine arrived at his office and walked with dragging feet to his desk. He stuck his hand in his pocket and fumbled around for a bit until his fingers grabbed hold on a small box, and he pulled it out and looked at it. He hadn't done the best job of wrapping it – or tying the ribbon on top of it – but in his sleepy distracted mind, he thought the contents would be an acceptable Christmas present for Serena.

He set the box on his desk, next to the framed picture of him with his parents. From there, he turned his attention to his computer and pulled up the spreadsheets he had been working on last night, quickly reviewing the data before sending them to Aliana. The rest of the morning was spent browsing the internet or recording a "Just been thinking about you and hoping you're having a good day" message for Serena before his meeting later that afternoon.

The sound of heels walking on tile floor caught his attention, and he looked up to see Diantha approaching his desk. She was wearing her usual flowing, winged coat, and a sparkly red beret sat on top of her head, covering almost all of her pixie cut.

"Diantha, hello!" he said cheerfully, suppressing a yawn.

"_Bonjour,_ Augustine! I thought I would drop by on my way to City Hall," said Diantha as she rounded the desk to his chair. She stooped over and exchanged the customary Kalosian greeting with him. "We barely see each other anymore."

"That's right – you just got back from filming that TV show in Sinnoh, didn't you?" asked Augustine; he noticed her glancing at the open browser window on his computer, which was on a website for planning weekend getaways.

"_Oui, mon ami_. I have been working very hard, unlike someone," Diantha smirked as she nodded towards his computer.

Augustine's cheeks grew pink, and he closed the browser hastily. "I don't have anything to do until a meeting with my colleagues at one, where we'll be discussing the next phase of our project. Which, coincidentally, is also at City Hall. What time is it?"

Diantha checked her watch. "Eleven thirty. Care to grab lunch on the way?"

"I'd love that," said Augustine. He powered down his computer, patted his pockets to make sure everything was in place, and then his eyes fell on the little wrapped box. Although he knew that the lab assistants and staff were not ones to run off with things, he still stashed it away in his desk drawer, feeling it would be more secure there.

"What was that?" asked Diantha curiously.

"A, uh, Christmas present," said Augustine; he then realized that Diantha didn't know about him and Serena.

"For whom?" she pressed.

"For . . . Serena," admitted Augustine, "We've been dating for two months now."

"Really?" Diantha said as he stood up. She sounded intrigued and excited. "You and her? Cute! I guess there aren't any young men her age who can keep up with her emotionally and intellectually."

"There are thirty-three-year-olds that have a hard time keeping up with her," Augustine informed his friend. "I should know. I'm one of them."

* * *

Diantha had planned to go to City Hall to apply for a Pokemon Breeding license, so she intended to part ways with Augustine at the front entrance. Instead, she and Augustine ran into Teleurac in the foyer.

"Professor, your timing is impeccable!" Teleurac said to Augustine as the two men shook hands. However, he soon caught sight of Diantha, and his eyes widened in awe and reverence.

"Good afternoon, Governor," said Diantha cordially, nodding her head slightly.

"Madame Diantha! An honor to see you again!" Teleurac floated over to Diantha and took hold of one of her hands. He raised her hands up to his lips and kissed her fingertips. "What brings you to City Hall today, _ma belle?_"

"I am applying to be a Pokemon Breeder," answered Diantha. "I have a young niece who desperately wants her own Ralts, but they are so hard to come by in the wild these days!"

Augustine's eyes flickered briefly over to Teleurac, and he wished he could tell Diantha what had become of all the wild Ralts.

"A worthwhile endeavor, Pokemon Breeding. Madame, before you go about that, would you care to accompany us to the board room? I am sure you will find the scientific research we have planned quite interesting."

"I would, thank you." Diantha grinned.

Flashing his usual crooked grin, Teleurac placed his hand on Diantha's shoulder and guided her towards the elevator, with Augustine following behind them. During the ride up, Augustine noticed how Teleurac would look up and down Diantha's body, his eyes lingering a little too long on her chest and her legs. Diantha glanced at Teleurac, seeming to notice, but then looked straight ahead at the closed elevator door.

"You are like a classic work of art, Diantha," said Teleurac smoothly. "Photographs do not do you justice. One must see you in person to fully appreciate your beauty."

"Thank you," said Diantha stiffly. She turned her torso away from him slightly, and Augustine could see on her face how the attention was making her uncomfortable.

"Are you familiar with what the Department of Environmental Sustainability is undertaking in order to provide Kalos with clean, renewable energy?" Teleurac continued.

"No, I am not," replied Diantha as she looked over to Augustine with pleading eyes.

"It's simple, really," began Augustine, picking up on her cue. "See –"

"Allow me to explain, Professor," Teleurac interrupted him, holding up a hand as he spoke. At that moment, the elevator door opened to reveal a long hallway. The three of them stepped out onto the plush green carpet and began walking down the hallway.

"As a Pokemon Trainer, you know that each Pokemon has power and strengths that humans do not have. Our team of scientists at the Department, who are currently consulting with Professor Sycamore here, hope to capture some of the innate energy in each Pokemon and use it to power our lives. There have been bumps on the road, though, as a few Pokemon have not survived testing. We have determined that those Pokemon with higher Special Attack ratings and higher Special Defense ratings provide the greatest energy output and are the hardiest, respectively. Ideally, we could maintain a group of powerful, sturdy Pokemon that could each provide us with energy over their entire lifespans."

"That's fascinating!" Diantha said. Although Teleurac smiled at the display of enthusiasm on her part, Augustine had been friends with her long enough to know when she was being sincere and when she was putting her acting skills to use. This was a moment when he believed she was not at all impressed with what Teleurac had to say.

"I thought you would be intrigued," said Teleurac as he opened a door into his office and held it open so Diantha and Augustine could go inside.

The clock hanging on the wall over his liquor cabinet showed that it was twelve forty-five, fifteen minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin. As Teleurac approached his liquor cabinet, his Holo Caster began to beep. He answered the call, and the holographic image of a square-jawed woman with her hair in a sleek updo materialized.

"President Oria! What a pleasant surprise," Teleurac greeted his caller.

_"Cut the crap, Alexandre,"_ snapped Oria. _"I got a transmission of the address you gave your constituency last night. You may be able to fool your citizens like that, but I'm still not convinced something fishy isn't afoot."_

Diantha and Augustine exchanged looks.

"I don't see how this is any of your business," said Teleurac bluntly. "If there was a problem with corruption in Kalos, I would have dealt with it already."

_"It is my business when Unovian journalists go missing in Lumiose City,"_ responded Oria. _"They were there to report on your new conservation policies and other changes to civil liberties happening in Kalos, and their news station loses contact with them three days after they arrive in your region."_

"If you like, I could launch an investigation," said Teleurac diplomatically.

_"Stop skirting the issue, Alexandre. My cabinet thinks there's an oncoming human rights catastrophe in Kalos."_

"A human rights catastrophe? Why? Because a few people get arrested for disorderly conduct? Because musicians and artists are having their work censored because said work is deemed not suitable for public consumption? Because my administration listens in on the occasional Holo Caster message? . . . My goal is the safety and security of all citizens of Kalos, in addition to making sure that there is still a Kalos for future generations to enjoy. A few unruly dissidents or inappropriate artists cannot be allowed to let their selfish ambitions risk our regional unity and strength." Teleurac struggled to keep his voice even, but every now and then his annoyance and offense cracked through.

_"Regional strength and unity? That doesn't excuse what you're doing to your citizens,"_ commented Oria.

"I don't tell you how to govern Unova, so don't tell me how to govern Kalos!" snapped Teleurac. "When I visited Castelia City some years ago, I saw the homeless begging for scraps of food, while the wealthy stuffed their faces. The crime rate was high, and the smog was so thick – how is there anyone in that city who doesn't have cancer? You should worry about fixing your own problems before you go commenting on mine!"

_"We are working on environmental efforts here in Unova, but they're just not as extreme as yours. People need to gradually ease into this kind of thing,"_ said Oria, trying to stay calm.

"But by the time you've nicely eased into it, it could be too late," objected Teleurac. "Is that what you will tell your grandchildren when they have no clean water or air? That you had to think of the people who couldn't adjust to change quickly enough?"

_"You're starting to sound ridiculous, Governor."_

"Perhaps the world would be better off without Unova!" shouted Teleurac.

Stunned silence filled the room.

_"I hope that wasn't a threat. You know I don't respond well to them," _said Oria indignantly.

"I await your response, _President_," sneered Teleurac before he ended the call. He looked up at Augustine and Diantha, allowing them to see the fury and frustration in his eyes.

"That call . . . you did not hear it. Understand?"

Augustine and Diantha both nodded obediently.

"Oria . . . always poking her nose where it doesn't belong. Anyway, it's one o'clock, so I guess we can officially begin our meeting, Professor." He looked to Diantha. "It was a pleasure seeing you again, Diantha. Would you care to join me for dinner tonight?"

"That's kind of you, Governor, but I already made plans with Drasna," declined Diantha.

"Oh, but I insist!"

"Then perhaps some other time," said Diantha coolly as she walked to the door. She turned to look at Augustine once more. "You must come for New Years' dinner, Augustine. Siebold will be preparing a feast! Bring Serena, too."

"All right. I'll call you about it later," said Augustine.

With one last wave to her friend, Diantha exited Teleurac's office. Teleurac's gaze lingered on the door for a while before he opened his liquor cabinet.

"Before you begin, Governor, I have a question for you," said Augustine, lacing his fingers together and twiddling his thumbs nervously.

"I'm listening," said Teleurac as he poured some brandy into a small glass.

"What exactly is being built in Centrico Plaza? I know the device itself is inside Prism Tower, and is attached to it, but – I don't know what it _does._"

"Why do you need to know what it does?" asked Teleurac critically.

"I . . . just . . . would like to be fully informed if I'm going to work for you. I want to be sure that these, erm, ethically questionable procedures being performed on our Pokemon are justifiable." Augustine used his firmest tone of voice, hoping to project confidence even though he knew it was likely he would be shot down.

Teleurac scoffed. "When I deem it fit that you know, I will tell you. Anyway, onto business, shall we?"

Feeling utterly dejected, Augustine nodded.

"The next phase of your project is relatively simple," began Teleurac. "It starts next week – I'm giving you a small vacation for Christmas. What you will be doing is meeting with a Pokemon Trainer by the name of Bernard Lecroux. After he was discovered to be illegally possessing Pokemon that we confiscated from him, he faced the choice to either go to prison or to assist us in our research."

"What will I be doing with him?" asked Augustine uneasily. He thought of how shattered Serena would be if she knew that Bernard was in trouble again.

"I want you to teach him to use Mega Evolution."

Augustine gulped. "Sir, with all due respect, I research Mega Evolution. I am no expert at using it, and I have only accomplished it once."

"With your Garchomp? I know. But you know how it is done, and you can show Monsieur Lecroux how to do it with his Medicham," said Teleurac before he took a sip of his drink. "This is the reason you are on board, Professor. We can capture plenty of energy from Pokemon such as Alakazam or Porygon-Z, but think of how much we could get from an Alakazam that is Mega-Evolved! I want Bernard's Medicham to be used for preliminary testing of Mega-Evolved Pokemon, to see how much more they have to offer us."

Augustine stuck his hands in his pockets to hide how sweaty and clammy they were becoming. Instead of directly stating his displeasure with the idea, of telling Teleurac how he felt that using Mega-Evolved Pokemon in such a way was a slap in the face to what he had dedicated his life to, he let his glare at Teleurac communicate all of that.

"I know you're not thrilled, Augustine, but you're hardly in a position to refuse. It would be such a poor way to repay me, now that I've made sure that the Pokemon in our facility have open spaces to live in and enough to eat and drink. Besides, this is all for the greater good!" Teleurac took another drink. He reached over to his desk and picked up a sealed envelope.

"Before you meet with the Abra that will transport you to the lab, I want you to deliver this to the Looker Bureau. It's a little case for young Mademoiselle Emma to solve – apparently this criminal gang from Kanto, Team Rocket, has been spotted in Kalos. I need her to look into it."

"Have they really?" a skeptical Augustine asked.

"No, but I have people laying out clues and a convincing trail for her to follow . . . Serena's not the only one who likes to snoop around, apparently." Teleurac handed Augustine the envelope.

With a sigh, Augustine turned to leave.

* * *

When he was done in the Team Flare lab that night, it was almost eleven-thirty. He fully intended to go home and go straight to sleep, but Serena had left him a message earlier that evening inviting him over if he had the time. He called her back to see if the invitation still stood.

Luckily for him, it did.

"From now on, you can just come over whenever you want," Serena told him as he lay his head in her lap, enjoying the way her hand felt as it cradled his head and her thumb stroked his cheek.

"You don't have a spare key, though," he said, tilting his head to the side to lean into her hand.

"I can get one made. I'll wrap it up in a little box and give it to you for Christmas," said Serena as she began to comb her fingers through his hair.

"Sounds like a great Christmas present." Augustine smiled faintly.

"Oh, you'll be getting another present. It'll be _much_ better," said Serena as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Augustine's tired face lit up.

"We've been nice all year. It's time to be a little naughty, don't you think?" Serena added, trying to sound seductive, but she soon broke into a fit of embarrassed giggles.

"Didn't your mother invite me to Christmas dinner this year?" Augustine reminded her as he blushed furiously and started laughing as well.

"Yes, but we're not spending the night in Vaniville." Serena leaned in so her face was closer to his.

Augustine's laughter moved seamlessly into a yawn.

"He gave me this next week off," he mentioned.

"That's nice of him," said Serena. She looked away from him and stared at the blank television, her mind likely thinking bitter thoughts about Teleurac. At the same time, she dragged her fingers out of his hair and held her hand to her chest, clenched up in a fist.

After a moment in which neither of them spoke, Augustine sat up and arranged himself so that he was seated on the couch next to her. "Serena, what's wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing. Sorry. I just got to thinking about . . . things."

"What _things?_ Tell me." Augustine implored, cupping one of her cheeks and turning her head to face him. He told himself that eventually she would be broken of this habit, of pretending nothing was wrong when something was clearly on her mind.

"It's dumb, and I shouldn't bring this up because you're tired and stressed . . ." Serena paused expectantly and watched him, hoping he'd leave it alone. However, Augustine gave her a look that invited her to continue.

Serena sighed.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this."

Augustine's heart sank. Surely she didn't mean what he thought she meant.

"I'm not talking about us!" Serena added reassuringly, grabbing his hands and bringing them down to rest in her lap. "Believe me, Augustine, you make me happy. But it drives me up the wall that we keep going about our lives, work and school and our stay-in dates, while Teleurac's plotting something dastardly for Kalos, and there's not much we can do about it. You have to see Pokemon suffer each day, and you don't even know _why_ – I don't know how you're keeping it together."

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead, closing his eyes tight to keep in the tears that were forming. Of course he had never told her about his occasional sleepless nights, or how when he did sleep he was often visited by nightmares filled with the cries of dying Pokemon. She also didn't know how staring into his own reflection was starting to repulse him, or how he would never work in science again if it meant he could put an end to Teleurac's plans.

"I'm not," he said, his voice soft and strained. He inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of her hair. Serena let go of his hands, and he felt her hands slide their way up his sides and onto his back, and she pulled herself closer to him to embrace him tightly. He hugged her back, allowing his head to rest in the crook between her neck and shoulder. The comforting sensation of her fingers combing through his hair soon followed.

Not much could have ruined the moment, but Augustine did as he yawned. It had escaped before he tried to shut his mouth and keep it in.

"Come on, sleepyhead," said Serena as she pushed the two of them apart. Taking him by the hand, she led him into her bedroom and sat him down on the bed.

"Is Christmas coming early?" asked Augustine, yawning again.

"No it isn't." Serena went to her closet and pulled out a gray T-shirt and plaid pajama pants. "Here," she said as she tossed them to him. Augustine slowly changed clothes, taking off the microphone that was taped to his chest and setting the battery pack on the nightstand. He extended the wire and draped it over the bedframe so it hung directly over the pillows.

Serena wanted to ask him why Teleurac was still making him wear that thing, but instead she pointed to it and shook her head in exaggerated disapproval. Augustine shrugged, and then covered his eyes while Serena changed into her own pajamas: a pink camisole and pajama pants with a repeating Pokeball pattern.

She walked over to the bed and pulled the covers back, allowing Augustine to crawl underneath them. Her bed was long enough to accommodate how much taller he was than her, but it was narrow enough that two people could only share it if they got cozy. Serena climbed into bed, turned off the lamp on her nearest nightstand, and curled up next to him so that her head lay on his shoulder and a hand rested lazily on his chest.

"We stay over at each other's places so often," Augustine noted, speaking softly into her hair. "Maybe we should just . . . erm . . . you know." He felt Serena shift slightly, propping herself to look up at him. His stomach dropped; she must have caught on to what he was trying to ask her, and he had no way of telling how she was going to respond.

"Dammit, Augustine. I was going to ask you about that at the end of February. Assuming we're still together by then, of course."

"The end of February? That's oddly specific, and a ways off," said Augustine as he drew his arm around her shoulders.

"That's when those fancy new condos on South Boulevard will be put on sale. We can look at those, spend a couple of months looking at other places, and have more than enough time to learn if we can actually live together. I want to, but I know it could make or break our relationship."

"You're right, _cherie_." Augustine gave her a gentle kiss. "It's smart to not rush . . . ." his sentence was interrupted as a large yawn escaped his mouth.

"We can talk about this later. Right now, you need to go to sleep," said Serena; she sounded excited, but also tired herself. After the two of them shared a good-night kiss, Serena drew the covers over the both of them and settled in before closing her eyes for the night.

The combination of the dark room, the soft pillow under his head, and Serena's warmth snuggled up next to him was enough to start lulling Augustine to sleep. He concentrated on how soft Serena's hair was under his fingers, and how she smelled faintly of vanilla and lavender, and how her heart was almost beating in time with his. Thoughts of their first Christmas together – happiness, food, exchanging gifts - were almost enough to drive away images of electrocuted and burned Pokemon from his mind's eye as he dreamed that night. His last thought before drifting away into sleep was a wish: for him and Serena to be able to leave their worries behind; and for them to lay next to one another, as they were doing then, forever.


	14. Chapter 14

**FOURTEEN**

"Serena, we're going to a party. Could you at least pretend you're enjoying yourself?" Augustine asked, giving her hand a squeeze. He had noticed the subtle scowl on her face.

"He's making us miss Tierno's show for this," grumbled Serena. She looked ahead, seeing that the two of them were not too far away from Hotel Richissme. Christmas trees were in the windows, decorated with glimmering garlands and colorful ornaments.

"I know, and I honestly thought the party would be later in the evening . . . but he's my boss, so I'm required to go, and he wanted me to bring you along too."

Serena sighed. "Nothing like a Team Flare Christmas party to get you in the holiday spirit."

The two of them entered Hotel Richissme, finding a posted sign that directed attendees of the State Christmas Party down a hall into the Main Ballroom.

"But really, why did I have to come?" asked Serena. Up ahead in the hallway, she saw a small group of well-dressed people talking outside the entrance to the ballroom.

"Anyone who's anyone will be here. I know you try hard to live a normal life and forget that you're famous, but it's not a party for the rich and powerful unless the Champion is here." Augustine told her. "Besides, if you didn't come along I'd be bored to tears."

"Isn't Diantha supposed to be here?" Serena let go of his hand and started unbuttoning her off-white peacoat.

"I suppose . . . that reminds me. We need to make sure there's plenty of distance between her and the Governor at all times. She doesn't care for him."

"Who does, though?" Serena said. She shimmied out of her coat and draped it over her arm, then looked back up at Augustine, expecting him to react to her previous statement. Instead, he was scanning up and down her body, taking in the sight of her green satin dress, pausing for a split second as his eyes rested on the dress's sweetheart neckline and the small amount of cleavage it revealed.

"I, um, don't think I've seen this dress before," he commented, fidgeting with his bowtie and tuxedo jacket.

"It's new," said Serena idly. She noticed how his eyes darted between her face and her neckline. "I'm up here, sir!"

"Are you sure Christmas can't come early for me?"

Serena whacked him in the arm. "You're such a teenage boy sometimes."

As soon as their coats were handed to the coat checker outside the doors, Serena and Augustine entered the ballroom. The room was circular, illuminated by a large crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling in addition to the dimmed ceiling lights. Pillars were wrapped in gold and silver garlands, and Christmas trees were stationed along the walls. A jazz band was playing soft Christmas tunes to help set the mood.

Diantha, dressed in a sleek black evening gown, was the first to see Serena and Augustine. She rushed forward and hastily greeted them, holding her glass of wine out of the way as she did.

"So great to see you, my darling friends!" she said exuberantly.

"Who are you here with?" Serena asked her. She scanned the floor, looking for any sign of Teleurac.

"I came here as a group with the Elite Four – well, just the three I'm still speaking to, at least," said Diantha.

Augustine gave her a puzzled look.

"Did I not tell you about what Malva said to me? Apparently I need some work done or something so I can remain young and beautiful for my acting career – I am so tired of hearing that from people! And then I asked her what kind of rumors had been going around about Governor Teleurac, since she has a good working relationship with the man and I like to know these things. She seemed _so offended_ by my curiosity, I – I – _ugh_." Diantha gulped down some of her wine, then cleared her throat. "Anyway, come have some food and drink! It's actually quite good."

Diantha led them to a long table laden with trays of finger foods and glasses of red and white wine. Serena scanned the food in front of her, most of which was arranged in foot-high stacks, and wondered if limiting food consumption did not apply during the holidays. She and Augustine prepared themselves plates of food, grabbed drinks, and joined the crowd of people behind Diantha, making small talk with the other partygoers, which included the Gym Leaders. She posed for a selfie with Viola, and then she and Augustine posed for Alexa, who wanted a publicity photo.

"I had to get a picture of you two. Kalos's top power couple, on your first major public outing since the Le Wow incident? People will love it!" Alexa said gleefully after getting a picture that satisfied her.

Serena locked eyes with Augustine, to find he was amused as she was. "Hear that? We're Kalos's top power couple!" she informed him, giggling.

Soon, Serena realized she did not need to pretend to enjoy herself. When Korrina came around to talk to them, she and Serena got into a lively discussion about roller skating techniques and playfully made fun of Augustine for his inability to keep his balance while skating. ("You'll have to help me teach him, Korrina. He's hopeless.") Augustine got his revenge when Siebold stopped by; the two men discussed cooking and recipes, and Augustine mentioned how Serena couldn't make crepes to save her life. After laughing at the joke which came at her expense, Serena glanced over to Diantha; the older woman's laughter quickly faded into a grimace as she looked on past their little group. Serena followed her line of sight to see Malva, who was dressed in a revealing red gown and pretending to be interested in the prattling of the Lumiose Museum Curator. Malva glanced away from the curator, and her eyes met Serena's.

"I wouldn't be surprised if something _was_ up with her," Diantha suddenly leaned over to Serena and whispered in her ear. Serena didn't respond; she wanted to give Diantha some confirmation, but didn't know how to go about that or if this was even a good moment. Once she and Malva were done glaring at one another, both women turned back to their respective groups.

Valerie floated into the group next, pulling a sprig of mistletoe out of the sleeve of her velvety red furisode. "Would anyone care to partake in this Christmas tradition?" she asked, holding the mistletoe out to them. Augustine snatched it up and held it over Serena's head. He then bent down and gave her a brief kiss, using his free hand to cup her chin and tilt her head up to him. She heard the _click_ and shutter of Viola's camera. When the kiss was finished, a blushing Serena stole the mistletoe from Augustine and used it to give Valerie a light peck on the cheek.

"She wanted someone to kiss _her,_ you silly man," she said to Augustine. Valerie giggled daintily before moving on, her mistletoe in hand.

Making sure that Diantha was engrossed in conversation with Wulfric and Olympia, Serena and Augustine made their way back to the long table to grab some more food and drink. Teleurac was standing at the table, preparing a glass of wine for himself.

"Ah, Professor Sycamore! Mademoiselle Carlyle! I was wondering when I would see you two here!" Teleurac greeted them jovially. Augustine gave a polite smile, while Serena maintained a stony expression.

"This is a wonderful party, Governor," said Augustine, gesturing out to the ballroom.

"You think so? Why _merci_. I aim to pull out all the stops – in a sustainable manner, of course. All the refreshments here come from organic ingredients – no chemical treatments or genetic modifications of any sort." Teleurac had a sip of wine, and then turned to Serena. "You look absolutely _gorgeous_ tonight, Serena." He commented, his eyes glancing down at her neckline.

"Um, thank you." Serena said, uncomfortable with the words that had just come from his mouth, as well as the fact that she was in the same space as him.

"Professor, do you mind if I have a minute alone with Serena? Just to talk?"

"Of course," agreed Augustine, although he sounded and looked concerned. He turned to Serena, taking hold of her free hand. "I'll be over with the others," he told her before leaning in to kiss her cheek. He then departed to rejoin Diantha and the Gym Leaders.

When Augustine had left, Teleurac grasped Serena's shoulder. "Follow me, please," he said, leading her away from the refreshment table and over to one of the columns. Serena glanced back at the center of the room, noting how almost everyone else was in that large group, and her mind began to run rampant with ideas of what he could possibly want to discuss with her. At the same time, her stomach began twisting into knots.

"Serena, you know that we are exploring Pokemon as a source of energy for Kalos. And I know that you are not a fan of such explorations. Pokemon are killed, and that is regrettable. But I think if we tapped into Mega Evolution, we could save some lives," he said calmly, studying her face. She kept her expression neutral, hiding her loathing and her dread of what he was going to say next.

"I would like for you to submit your Charizard, Lucario, and Ampharos for testing immediately, as well as be present so you can Mega Evolve them – keep in mind that they would be in the very capable hands of Professor Sycamore, so you'd have no reason to worry for their –"

"Not a Snover's chance in hell of that happening." Serena snapped.

"I don't recall _asking_ you if you wanted to submit them."

"I don't care. You can't have them."

Teleurac sighed.

"Do you remember that you agreed to cooperate, and do _exactly_ as I told you?" he asked her threateningly.

"I remember. You threatened to kill Augustine. Go ahead – do it. Good luck finding another Mega Evolution researcher to help you with your cruel plans," Serena replied coolly, although she felt like lashing out somehow. She glanced away from him to confirm that Augustine was still amongst the group of people he had joined.

"What makes you think we're planning anything, hmm?" asked Teleurac.

"Please. If your intentions were so great, why have a facility underneath the city? Why not be public about who you really are? Why put up walls around Centrico Plaza while you build a _park?_ Why are you so scared of me?"

"I'm not scared of you. I have Team Flare, the Kalosian Guard, and the police force at my disposal. You are one Pokemon Trainer – a remarkably talented one, I'll admit – but you are still only one. I have no reason to fear you."

"And yet I'm under constant surveillance and my boyfriend wears a wire, to ensure _his _silence . . . these 'foreign ears' that have heard rumors about you, who are they? President Oria in Unova? Prime Minister Bexx of Johto? Doesn't matter; I can just give them all Christmas Holo Caster calls from inside Centrico Plaza. They'd enjoy seeing the park you're building there." Serena said, shrugging dramatically but speaking as if she was telling him her plans to do something mundane.

"Don't you DARE!" Teleurac raged, his hand flying up and swinging swiftly across her face. His hand struck, letting out a loud clapping sound and turning her head to the side. Past the ringing in her ears from the sound of the slap, she heard the other partygoers quiet down after an initial wave of surprised gasps.

Holding her hand to where her face was stinging in pain, Serena turned her head back to look at him with contempt. "Or what, you'll slap me again?"

"No, but you'll have to live with the consequences. President Oria will likely declare war to try and oust me if she suspects anything else is afoot. Would you really want to subject the good people and Pokemon of Kalos to that?"

Serena did not respond.

"What's going on here?" Augustine walked briskly to Serena's side, moving her hand from her face so he could see the bright red handprint on her cheek.

"A, erm, brief lapse of judgment on my part, I'm afraid," Teleurac said quickly, glancing at Alexa and Viola. Both sisters were watching the Governor, and they had their cameras in hand and ready to go at a moment's notice. He cleared his throat.

"Now, if you two will excuse me." He turned his back to the pair of them and strode out of the ballroom. Once he had rounded the corner into the hallway and was out of sight, Serena raised herself up so that her lips were an inch from Augustine's ear.

"I threatened to tell people the truth."

"You're lucky all he did was slap you, then," said Augustine.

Now that Teleurac had departed, it did not take long for Alexa and Viola to descend upon Serena, followed by several other partygoers. Everybody wanted to know why Teleurac had just slapped her, and where he had gone. Malva stood off to the side of that group, watching Serena with a fiery glare.

"Here's the deal," Serena spoke loudly, holding up her glass of wine to get everyone's attention. "These awful accusations against the Governor are going around. We all know that. I'd heard someone say something about Team Flare, and I just asked him if that rumor in particular bothered him the most."

Several partygoers gasped softly. Ramos and Wulfric whispered amongst themselves. Malva pursed her lips.

"I mean, he could have just said no. He didn't _have_ to slap me. And if you ask me, his reaction to my question was rather damning, don't you think?" She turned to Alexa. "I think people will love that more than a picture of Augustine and me. Is there still a handprint on my face? Get a picture of it, will you?"

"Oh no, Alexa. You don't want to publish a story about Governor Teleurac physically assaulting our darling Champion, do you?" Malva then stepped into the fold, holding her open palm out to Alexa.

"You're a journalist too, Malva. You understand our duty is to the public, to keep them informed on everything that is –" Alexa objected, tightening her grip on her camera.

"But this is Christmas! A joyous time to celebrate love and peace. There is no need for you to run the story about this incident. _None at all._"

Alexa sighed. "I liked you better before you became a government official."

Malva smirked in self-satisfaction, then turned to face Serena.

"I believe you've had too much to drink tonight, Serena," she said coolly. "Perhaps you should go home and rest."

"I feel fine, thank you," Serena retorted. She felt Augustine draw closer to her, and his hand resting on her shoulder.

"But . . . I do think I've had enough of this party," she added before gulping down the rest of her wine. She looked up at Augustine, who nodded at her to indicate he was ready to leave as well.

* * *

Once they had exited Hotel Richissme, Serena received a call from Calem, who was inviting her and Augustine to the after-party celebrating Tierno's first paid show. Calem was also itching for a battle, so Serena and Augustine decided to make a quick detour to her apartment first.

"I wonder what Teleurac's going to say to the other partygoers," Serena wondered as she made her way into her bedroom, where she had last left her Pokeball belt on the nightstand.

"About what?" Augustine asked as he followed her.

"The slapping incident, of course," she said, looking down at the floor and noticing that her rug was crooked and one of the corners had been folded back haphazardly on top of the rug. She then looked up to her nightstand, where she had though she had left her belt, to see that it was not there.

"Hmm, that's odd. I thought I had left them there," mused Serena. Augustine perched himself on the edge of the bed and watched as she scoured every inch, nook, and cranny of her bedroom. She dashed back into the living room, overturning couch cushions and sending pillows flying around the room, checking under tables and chairs and her entertainment center, growing more frantic by the minute. In the kitchen, the pantry door had been left slightly ajar, showing Serena that her new package of cookies had been opened and were missing a few of its contents.

She froze on the spot, feeling her heart race and her insides tense up. Her Pokeball belt – and by extension her Pokemon – was nowhere to be found.

"Serena?" Augustine called. He made his way into the kitchen, standing next to the dining table and watching her with concern. She was standing by the slightly opened pantry, a hand resting on the door; she brought her eyes to meet his gaze.

"I can't find them," she choked, feeling like tears could start falling that instant.

"And you've looked everywhere? Do you want me to double check?"

"Yes! Everywhere! I'm such a bad Trainer, I should have taken them to the party with me, so at least I could have known where they were at all times." Serena's hand slid off the pantry door, and she leaned back against it, folding her arms across her chest.

"Of course, I bet Teleurac would have wanted me to hand them over right then and there – oh . . . _Oh._" It dawned on her.

"_That bastard._"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Hi everyone! Thanks for your continued support!

I regret to inform you that there will be no updates next week, because I'll be out of town for Spring Break. For now, I leave you all with this ungodly long chapter. See you next week!

* * *

**FIFTEEN**

"Give me your Holo Caster. It's got his number in it." Serena demanded of Augustine, walking towards him and thrusting her open palm outwards. Once he had placed the device in her hands, she dialed up Teleurac and waited for a response.

"Serena, you have no proof it was him," Augustine pointed out.

"We _literally_ had this conversation before he slapped me," snapped Serena. Immediately after she finished speaking, Teleurac's holographic image popped up.

_"Professor! How can I – oh. You."_ Teleurac's demeanor fell when he saw Serena.

"Where are they?" Serena questioned him, her voice shaking with indignation.

_"I'm sorry, Serena, but who is 'they?'"_

"My Pokemon! Someone came into my home and stole them! One of yours probably, and they ate my cookies!"

_"Ah, your Pokemon are missing . . . unfortunate that I had to order their seizure, isn't it? If only you had peacefully agreed to turn them over, then maybe your cookies would have not been touched."_

Serena growled, and wished she could grab him through the Holo Caster and give him a good throttle.

_"Don't worry, Serena. You'll be used as a riveting cautionary tale, warning other Pokemon Trainers of the dangers of noncompliance. Find some comfort in knowing that significantly less Pokemon will be taken from their Trainers, so nobody will have to suffer the same as you . . . also, if you act out in any way, you will be arrested, and I would hate for you to have to spend Christmas in prison."_

Teleurac hung up. Serena slammed Augustine's Holo Caster down on the table before darting back into her bedroom and tearing into her closet. Augustine followed her; when he arrived to the doorway, he covered his eyes, for she had removed her dress and thrown it on her bed.

"What are you doing?" he asked, although it sounded to Serena like he already knew the answer.

Serena threw on a T-shirt, followed by jeans and her sturdiest running shoes. She was ready to tell him exactly what she was going to do, but at the same time she knew that he wouldn't be the only person who found out about it.

"You're going to go search for your Pokemon, aren't you?" Augustine continued, his tone conflicted.

"I'm dressed now. You can look." Serena said briskly as she slipped into a jacket.

"Serena, look . . . I hate that Teleurac's done this. I really do. But you heard him. He'll arrest you if you try to steal them back." Augustine said urgently after his hand slid off his eyes.

"But if I succeed, he won't be able to catch me," said Serena with brash confidence. She went over to her nightstand and grabbed a ponytail holder, using it to tie her hair back in a low ponytail.

"And if you don't succeed?. . . Serena, has it occurred to you that you might not win this one?"

She stared at him, trying to figure out what exactly he was thinking. To her, it was a valid point for him to be worried that she would be caught and arrested, but did he want her to get her Pokemon back or not?

"How about this: when I go back to work after my vacation, I'll talk to him. I'll see if I can get them back for you. They may not even be fit for testing."

"A lot can happen to them between now and next week, Augustine," Serena spat. "I need them back _now. _That's the only way I'll know they're safe." She imagined her Pokemon hooked up to those energy extractor machines, being electrocuted and injured as the life was sucked out of them. The thought of it made her want to cry and breathe a fire hotter than Charizard could ever conjure. It also occurred to her that she did not have the slightest idea of where to begin.

She walked briskly to the doorway, intending to leave, but Augustine blocked her path.

"And what's going to keep _you_ safe, Serena?" he said, looking down at her as if that would be the last time he ever saw her.

"You could come with me," she offered.

Augustine sighed. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" she blurted out. He of all people should be helping her, she thought bitterly. Augustine pointed to his chest, at the approximate spot where the microphone was attached, and she nodded in resentful comprehension.

"That's it, then . . . you're scared of him, that he'll find out you're helping me."

"If I go too, I could put you in jeopardy. He'd know where we are and what we're doing."

Serena groaned. How hard was it to just rip the stupid thing off and break it?

"_Chérie,"_ said Augustine soothingly as he took her face in his hands, "Let's not do anything rash right now. We should wait until you've calmed down, and then decide how to handle this. I promise you that I will not allow your Pokemon to be subject to anything I would not want my own to experience, just . . . _please._ Stay here."

"No." Serena pushed herself away from Augustine and walked past him into the living room. She ran to the front door, grabbing her keys off the coffee table on the way. Her hand moved to unlock the door, and Augustine called out to her again.

"Serena, wait."

Rolling her eyes, she turned to see him shed his tuxedo jacket and start unbuttoning his shirt. Her gaze explored the bared area of his torso for a split second, before she saw the wire laying against his skin, sticking out like a crack in finely sculpted marble. Once his shirt was open, he reached to the back of his pants and pulled off the microphone's battery pack, then ripped off the tape that secured the microphone in place. He dropped it all on the floor before slamming his heel into the battery pack, breaking it and sending shards of black plastic sliding along the floor.

Her lips curved into a small smile.

"I have an idea of where we should check first," said Augustine as he buttoned his shirt back up.

* * *

"They would not be kept here," a nonplussed Serena said as she and Augustine exited the elevator and walked into his office at Sycamore Pokemon Laboratories.

"No, they're not. You're right." Augustine opened a cabinet and pulled out one of his indigo shirts and a pair of dark jeans. He glanced at Serena, then cleared his throat loudly. Picking up on the cue, Serena turned his back to him.

"It's funny how we were planning on doing it for the first time tomorrow but we still won't watch each other change clothes," she commented, trying to focus on the task at hand and not let her mind wander in a direction that involved Augustine in various states of undress.

"Why ruin the surprise?" responded Augustine cheekily. "Anyway, we're here because I wanted to wear something a little more comfortable, and the Abra we use to Teleport into the Team Flare facility are housed here as well."

"They've been here this whole time?"

_"Oui. _I have one in my desk, actually . . . you can look now."

Serena turned back around, in time to watch Augustine secure his Pokeball belt around himself, counting to see that all four of his Pokemon were present. He then reached back into the cabinet and grabbed a fifth Pokeball, pressed the catch, and sent out an Abra.

"Anything else you've been hiding from me?" Serena questioned as she observed the Abra, who was levitating itself over the desk.

Augustine shook his head. "Only what you're about to see. But before we go, Serena, I want you to promise me something: if at any time we're in danger and there's an opportunity for you to escape, I want you to take it. Don't worry about me, because I'll have my Pokemon. Save yourself."

Although the idea of possibly leaving him behind with Team Flare made her stomach drop, Serena nodded. "I promise," she said, smiling weakly.

She tentatively approached the Abra, looking straight at its closed eyelids as if she was actually making eye contact with the sleeping Pokemon. It hit her that she had never Teleported anywhere before.

"Uh . . . Abra, use Teleport."

Abra did not respond.

"Abra, Teleport her." Augustine intervened. "Flying Litwick."

She shot him a puzzled look, but before she could ask him what exactly he meant by "Flying Litwick," Abra had generated a purple-and-gold aura and extended it to envelop Serena. Soon, the lab and Augustine faded out of view, and she felt as if her body was being whirled around in a circle, surrounded by the ethereal light of Abra's aura, and compressed in on itself. When the world rematerialized again, she found herself standing in a dark space, the aura emanated by Abra giving off barely enough light to show her the silhouette of a nearby chair.

Abra Teleported away, leaving Serena in the dark. She heard the low hum of a running computer, and something beeping, but could not discern anything else in the dark. Her head felt light, and she felt like the world was slowly rocking back and forth around her in her wooziness.

A minute after Abra left, it reappeared, this time carrying Augustine with it. "Use Flash," he commanded; Abra radiated a soft, bright light. Flash revealed that there was indeed a computer on a desk and a chair, along with some papers posted to a bulletin board and a series of lockers. There was one solid door, and there was no telling where it led.

"You never told me Teleporting was so rough," Serena complained, reaching a hand out to him in hopes of getting some support.

"It takes getting used to." Augustine grabbed her outstretched hand and drew her closer to him.

"So, what's 'Flying Litwick?'" she asked him, leaning her head into his shoulder.

He chuckled. "It's like a code. Abra won't teleport unless she hears someone regarded as 'authorized personnel' say it."

"Huh," Serena stood up straight. "So we're here?"

"If by 'here' you mean the super-secret underground facility, then yes," said Augustine as he led her to the door. He opened it and ushered her out. Abra, feeling that its work was done, Teleported away.

"Where do you want to start looking?" asked Serena. She found herself in a hallway very similar to the one she had previously encountered in the facility, only it was lined with more doors and there was an upward-leading staircase at the end of it.

Augustine sent out Garchomp. Before he could answer, Serena had made her way to another door and opened it. Inside, she found stacks of cardboard boxes of various sizes, all taped shut. The boxes were labeled with the names of Pokemon, and she didn't recognize the names of any of hers. After seeing a dark red and brown stain on the side of one box labeled "Pancham," she jumped out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Pathetic excuses for human beings, that's what they are," she hissed, shaking her trembling head as she went to the next door. Behind her, she heard Augustine rattle a doorknob, followed by the swipe of Garchomp's arm and the sound of wood crash onto the ground. The next room she checked was full of more cardboard boxes, labeled with the names of more Pokemon that weren't hers, as were the next two rooms she checked. The first thing she resolved to do once she got her Pokemon back was to have Charizard burn the whole place down.

"In here!" she heard Augustine shout. Serena ran into the room whose door was laying in pieces on the ground. Inside, she found Augustine examining models of towers, all lined up together on a table. Garchomp stood nearby, clawed arms bared and standing vigilant.

"You really think they'd keep my Pokemon in a random locked room? We should be looking for, like, a grand pedestal or something that's guarded by a laser security system and some Houndoom," she said, curious as to what he was doing.

"Then go look for your grand pedestal. I, on the other hand, have been trying to get into this room for weeks," Augustine told her. Upon closer inspection, Serena noticed that the model towers had long, slender cannons on the top of them, and a map of the Six Regions was lying on the table.

"I think I see why this room is for authorized personnel only," he added glibly, running a finger over the top of one of the model towers.

"You wouldn't see it until you believed it, huh, Professor?"

Serena and Augustine turned to the doorway to see a male Team Flare Admin. The Admin had his Holo Caster in one hand and a Pokeball in another.

"I heard a something break, so I came to investigate. It's so nice of you to join me tonight, Professor. Working Christmas Eve is the pits and I'm glad you're keeping me company . . . and look, you brought your girlfriend! The boss told me to keep an eye out for her!" The Admin released a Scrafty from his Pokeball.

"I suppose you're going to try and arrest me now, aren't you?" Serena asked the Admin, trying to sound intimidating.

"That's right . . . and how are you going to stop me?" smirked the Admin. He pointed at Augustine's Garchomp. "Scrafty, use High Jump Kick on that beast."

Serena leaped out of the way as Scrafty charged towards Garchomp. Scrafty jumped high into the air, and as it came back down it swung out a leg that came crashing down on Garchomp's head. After Scrafty backed off, Garchomp's head was still bowed as he recuperated from the hit.

Once he got over the initial shock of what happened, Augustine glanced over to Serena, who gave him a determined nod, communicating her confidence in him. He waited for Garchomp to straighten up before issuing a command.

"Dragon Claw!"

Garchomp stepped forward and swiped his arm at Scrafty, striking his opponent with enough force to send it falling onto its back. Scrafty soon got back up, displaying a long dark gash across its body from where Garchomp had struck.

As Augustine and the Admin did battle, Serena sidled a wall, waiting to see if the Admin would step out of the doorway or otherwise create an opening for her. That opening came when Garchomp swung another Dragon Claw at Scrafty, with the Dragon-type being in close enough proximity to the doorway that the Admin had to take a step back to avoid being hit. The attack fainted Scrafty, and Serena sprinted out of the room and into the hall.

"I was going easy on you!" the Admin snarled as he took Scrafty back into its Pokeball. "But I suggest you both run for it, because the Governor will be here very soon once I call him!" He waved his Holo Caster at the pair of them before taking off.

"That doesn't leave us much time," Augustine told Serena as he recalled Garchomp. He glanced down at the floor, looking at the models of the towers that had been smashed during the fight, then ran to meet Serena. She took his hand and led him up the staircase at the end of the hall, not knowing where it led but desperate to keep moving.

The two of them wound up in an open area with stone walls and floors; in the center was a circular chamber with a metal frame and glass panels that extended up through a hole in the ceiling. Aside from the chamber, the only contents of the room were various metal construction materials and electric wiring. A few light fixtures provided illumination for the area.

It was unlikely that her Pokemon were in here, but Serena jogged up to the circular chamber, peered inside to see some loose bits of metal and wires, then looked up to see the inside of Prism Tower looming above, visible through the hole cut in the ground.

"What do you see?" Augustine asked as he joined her side.

"A way out of here, maybe," said Serena. She grabbed a nearby metal rod off the ground and swung it with all her might at one of the glass panels, breaking the panel and sending glass shrapnel flying forward into the chamber. Augustine looked up, saw Prism Tower, and sent out his Charizard. He climbed onto his Pokemon's back and pulled Serena on after him; Charizard then flew into the chamber and up to the surface, touching down next to the opening in the ground.

When she disembarked from his Charizard, Serena surveyed the walled-up Centrico Plaza. Not much had changed yet, although there were five lines of the boxy energy extractor machines surrounding the Tower, arranged like the five major avenues of the city. Next to each machine was an empty cage, and each cage was connected via wiring to another cage in the same line, and the cages closest to the Tower had yet to be connected to anything else.

"You don't think . . . ?!" she turned to Augustine, seeing the same look of horror on his face that she was wearing.

Augustine gulped. "Should I have my Pokemon destroy all of this?"

"Not yet. Give me your Holo Caster. I have a call to make." Serena now thought it unlikely that she would find her Pokemon before Teleurac found her, but at least she had found this. That surely counted for something.

Her first instinct was to call President Oria in Unova, but she didn't know Oria's number, it wasn't programmed in Augustine's Holo Caster, and looking it up would take more time than they had. Instead, when Augustine handed the device to her, she dialed up Alexa.

_"Serena, what is it?"_ Alexa asked.

"Check this out. I'm in Centrico Plaza right now." Serena said hastily as she turned the Holo Caster to show Alexa the base of Prism Tower. "The government's building something in here. I don't know what yet, but it definitely isn't a park." She rotated to show the energy extractors and cages. Right then, she noticed something bright red stamped onto the corner of the nearest extractor. When she looked closer, she saw it was the Team Flare insignia.

"And this is my favorite right here," said Serena as she positioned the Holo Caster to give Alexa a better view of the insignia.

"_Wait, what? _Mon Dieu!"Alexa gasped, her eyes wide with shock. _"Serena, why are you showing me this?"_

"Make sure this footage is seen by as many people as possible. Post it on the internet, hack into whichever channel's playing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Stantler right now, I don't care. Just get it out there, and as fast as you can. Team Flare _has_ returned to Kalos, and Governor Teleurac is their leader. I don't know what any of this is, but I aim to find out." She ended the call and tossed the Holo Caster back to Augustine.

"You and her will be cellmates," he said darkly.

Her mouth gaped open slightly as guilt began to sting her. What if Alexa didn't have the chance to do anything with that Holo footage before she was censored or arrested? What would the authorities do to her?

"Come on. My Pokemon aren't up here," she said flatly as she marched back to the opening in the ground. She stopped after only a few steps, for Teleurac was making his ascent on the back of his Talonflame.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked as he hopped off Talonflame and stood a few yards from Serena.

"Not quite yet. I still haven't found my Pokemon." Serena told him.

"And you really think they'd be here, in this facility? . . . it hardly matters, though. I told you that you would be arrested for acting out, and so I am now making good on that. Charges, I think, begin with breaking into and entering a restricted area – add slander as well, and sedition, destruction of government property too." Teleurac smirked.

Serena glanced over to Augustine and gave him a short nod. He nodded back in a similar manner. There was no way she would go quietly.

"Fine, you can arrest me. But you'll have to catch me first." She sprinted to the nearest wall, hoping that her speed combined with her weight could provide enough force to knock a portion of it down. When she checked to see if Augustine was catching up, she was instead met with the sight of Teleurac's Talonflame, flying her way in pursuit. Talonflame made its way over her head, then shot out a Flamethrower onto the ground, separating her from the wall.

She skidded to a halt a few feet away from the fire, close enough to feel its intense heat. From there, she backed away and started running to another section of wall. Talonflame spewed yet another Flamethrower to veer her off course and drive her back to the middle of the plaza. She saw Augustine running towards her, his hand throwing a Pokeball and letting out his Blastoise. At his command, Blastoise hit Talonflame with a Hydro Pump, knocking the airborne Pokemon into the ceiling and then falling to the ground.

Blastoise got to work putting out the fires made by Talonflame, and Serena closed the distance between herself and Augustine.

"Remember what you promised to do before we came here?" he whispered, looking to see Teleurac recall his fainted Talonflame.

"Yeah, but I don't have an opportunity yet," Serena reminded him.

"I'll create one. Again, don't worry about me." Augustine quickly kissed her.

The kiss was interrupted by the sound of a crackling Thunderbolt shooting through the air, striking Blastoise in the belly. Serena's eyes widened when she saw the source of the Thunderbolt was a Luxray, with Teleurac standing behind it.

"I hate to interrupt the little moment the two of you are having – oh wait. No I don't!" Teleurac stated exuberantly.

Blastoise had survived the Thunderbolt, if only barely. The large Water-type showed signs of electrical burns on its chest and stomach areas, and it panted in fatigue.

"Use Skull Bash!"

As Augustine left her side to focus on the battle, Serena turned her attention to a nearby cage and energy extractor. She opened the side panel of the machine and began pulling out its insides: wires, tubes, microchips, and a sealed flask containing some swirling green vapor. Not knowing what the vapor was, she intended to set it down gently and move on, but she saw Blastoise come her way and she jumped back to avoid being hit. Blastoise crashed into the glass cage next to the machine, having been struck by another Thunderbolt; in her haste to move, Serena dropped the flask on the ground, shattering it and letting the green vapor inside dissipate into the air.

Blastoise was now fainted, lying unconscious in a bed of shattered glass and bent metal. Augustine recalled Blastoise and sent out Garchomp next to deal with Luxray. Serena walked backwards towards the next machine in line, watching as Garchomp stomped his foot onto the ground and triggered an Earthquake. She wobbled as the ground shook, reaching to stabilize herself on the cage. Once the Earthquake stopped, she opened and ripped out everything inside that energy extractor, finding that the flask inside was empty; she smashed it nonetheless. For added measure, she stomped as hard as she could on everything she took out, breaking some tubes and microchips.

After repeating the process on the next machine in the line, she looked back to check on the battle. Garchomp had just fallen, being hit by an Ice Beam from Teleurac's Lapras. Augustine sent out his Venusaur next.

"What are you thinking?!" she hollered at Augustine, wondering if it occurred to him to have Garchomp use Stone Edge while that Pokemon was still active in the battle.

"I'm doing the best I can here!" Augustine retorted, clearly frustrated with how the battle was not favoring him.

Feeling certain that Augustine would lose the battle, Serena kept going, ripping out the insides of energy extractors and smashing their contents under her heel. For good measure, she flipped them over, although they were still heavy even when emptied out. Meanwhile, two Ice Beams from Lapras were enough to faint Venusaur, and Augustine sent out his last Pokemon, Charizard. Augustine observed what Serena was doing; instead of directing Charizard to attack Lapras, he had his Pokemon fly at the line of energy extractors and cages closest to him. As he flew, Charizard swung his tail to break all objects in his way, dodging Hydro Pumps from Lapras as he went. When an opportunity arose, Charizard shot a Flamethrower at Lapras, only to have it do minimal damage. Lapras returned with another Hydro Pump, hitting Charizard in the face and knocking him into the ground. Charizard staggered to his feet and looked at Augustine, awaiting direction.

"Try and knock a wall down," Augustine asked his Pokemon, pointing at the walls that separated the plaza from the rest of Lumiose. Charizard nodded and resumed flight, heading to the walls.

"Stop it, Lapras!" Teleurac commanded his Pokemon. "I do admire your attempt to escape, Augustine, but it won't work."

"I'm not the one I want to escape," Augustine informed him boldly. He turned to see Serena running back to him. When she was by his side again, he leaned in and whispered "Get ready to run."

_Crash!_ Charizard collided with the wall, but was not successful in breaking it down. Lapras fired a Water Pulse, and the attack fainted Charizard.

"Or maybe I shouldn't," said Serena as Augustine recalled Charizard. Augustine sighed as he clipped Charizard's Pokeball back onto his belt, and he hung his head in resignation.

Teleurac laughed menacingly. "Good try, Professor. Good try! And Serena, you will be reimbursing me for the damage you just caused. In the meantime, I believe there is a prison cell with your name on it."

Serena had a cheeky comeback for him, but she forgot it the moment something crashed through the wall around the plaza. A Rhyhorn had smashed through, its Trainer not too far behind and accompanied by others. She heard someone shout "She was right! This doesn't look like a park at all!"

A dozen people poured through the hole in the wall, into the plaza. Those without Pokemon took out video cameras and Holo Casters to record their own footage of what they saw. Trainers released their Pokemon to finish breaking the rest of the machines and cages, while police officers came in as well in order to stop them. Team Flare grunts and Admins emerged from the opening in the ground under Prism Tower to come to the aid of the police officers.

She grabbed Augustine's wrist and tugged him along, dodging attacks launched by Pokemon and attempts by police and Flare members to grab her. However, the same Admin they had encountered earlier clutched onto Augustine's arm and pulled him back towards him; Serena tried to tug him away with all her might, but even with Augustine's help, the Admin succeeded in yanking the Professor out of Serena's grip. Serena was sent stumbling backwards, leaving enough space between her and the two men for some Trainers to charge through.

"Get out of here!" Augustine bellowed at her.

Serena glanced around at the chaos surrounding her, then back towards Augustine, only to see that Admin drag him away back to where Teleurac was standing while he flailed about helplessly. She would have ignored him, ran to help him if she had her Pokemon, but not even then could she hope to weather the crossfires of attacks flying back and forth in the heated battles that were happening: Solarbeams, Focus Blasts, Thunders, Blizzards, all being thrown every which way. One Team Flare Admin directed her Manectric to shoot a Thunder Wave in Serena's direction; she leaped out of the way just in time, and the attack hit a nearby Tauros instead.

She looked back to the base of Prism Tower. That Admin, Augustine, and Teleurac were nowhere to be found. She felt powerless to help, presently being without Pokemon – but when she saw a Gastly launch a Shadow Ball at its opponent, she remembered that she had others.

Serena ran, going as fast as her legs could carry her, evading stray attacks and attempts by other Flare members and police officers to accost her, ears filled with yet numb to the roars and shouts of the bedlam around her, until she had jumped out of the hole in the wall and onto Hibernal Avenue and ran through a full-blown riot happening on the street. More battles between civilian Trainers, police, and Flare members were occurring, windows of stores were smashed in, and the harsh glow of a fire came from the inside of Restaurant Le Wow. She got herself lost in a group of people for a bit, covering her ears to protect them from their angry shouts of protest against Teleurac and his administration. That group dissipated once a squad of Houndoom appeared, pouncing on people and digging their sharp fangs into their bodies. One Houndoom lunged at Serena, but she ducked down and let it jump over her head, and she resumed her sprint.

The Pokemon Center on North Boulevard had a mass of people crowding around the entrance, trying to push themselves inside. Many of the people carried injured Pokemon in their arms, and many were injured themselves. That crowd was the only thing between Serena and the PC Box inside. Before she got the chance to force her way through, more police officers arrived and forced everyone inside the Pokemon Center, telling them that for their own safety, nobody was to enter or leave without permission. One officer called someone to confirm that the Pokemon Centers at South Boulevard and Magenta Plaza had also been secured. Knowing that heading in there would be a very easy way to get caught soon, Serena ran off down North Boulevard, through more riots and battles and Houndoom attacking people and burning buildings.

In front of the gate to Route 14, a Double Battle was taking place between two civilian Trainers and two Team Flare Admins. Serena slowed to a halt, crouching behind a Gogoat shuttle stop and breathing heavily as her lungs and legs cried out in exhaustion. If she could get out of the city, she could make it to Laverre City, to their Pokemon Center – the only problem was the battle, with one Admin's Houndoom continuously hurling Fire Blasts and one Trainer's Pupitar emitting Dark Pulses.

Visions of Augustine, handcuffed and confined to a small prison cell, came to her mind. She also thought of her main team of five Pokemon, and whether they were locked up in their Pokeballs somewhere or if life was already being drained from them. There was no saving any of them if she remained cowering at this shuttle stop, and yet crossing through a Pokemon Battle contained its own set of risks. Taking a deep breath, Serena rose to her feet, then dashed towards the gate to Route 14, right as the Admin's Houndoom spewed another Fire Blast.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** Guess what? I'm back from Spring Break!

* * *

**SIXTEEN**

Augustine was taken to a room he had never seen before down in the facility. It was cramped, with computers, television monitors, telephones, and other communication equipment lining the walls. He was handcuffed to a wooden chair in the middle of the room, facing Teleurac and one such monitor.

"Lumiose is often called the City of Light . . . it's a very fitting description tonight, don't you think?" Teleurac looked upon the screen in front of him, which showed an aerial view of Lumiose City. The glows of fires could be seen in various places, smoke rose from the streets, and Flying-type Pokemon swooped in and out of view.

"I've been informed that Alexa successfully broadcasted Serena's little message to her. So you can thank them for this mess," added Teleurac, visibly annoyed by what had happened earlier.

Augustine did not respond. He locked his eyes on the monitor, his gaze unfocused so that the scene of the city depicted there were only blurs of sinister orange flames contrasted by abyssal shadows to him. Serena was out there, probably trying to find her way back into this place; for all he knew, she was finding ways to contribute to the riot even without her Pokemon.

"Believe me, Professor. If I hear anything about dear Serena's whereabouts, you'll be the first to know."

Teleurac's Holo Caster beeped; Chief Renshaw had called.

"How are things out there?" he asked her.

_"Eventful. There was a group of teenagers looting Richissme and setting their Pokemon on anybody who got close, and then we sent out the Emolga squad to paralyze them all. Made arresting them easier – we fainted and confiscated all their Pokemon too."_ Renshaw recounted.

"Good. I want the Pokemon of all detained persons to be brought here as soon as possible. Also . . . keep your eyes peeled for Serena Carlyle, would you? She's dying to be reunited with her darling Pokemon."

_"Got it, sir. Anyway, I called you because we finally apprehended Alexa Papille, the one responsible for broadcasting the footage exposing Centrico Plaza. She's currently being held at City Hall . . . what would you like to be done with her?"_

"Make sure the rioters keep their grubby hands off her. She may either be their next hero or their next victim. And don't hurt her, either. Keep her there until I arrive, then we'll have a little chat."

"_Yes, sir."_ Renshaw ended the call.

Teleurac stuck his Holo Caster back in his pocket, then turned to Augustine. "See? No reason to fear. I have people looking for her as we speak . . . what's wrong, Professor? You've been rather quiet since I cuffed you to that chair."

"I have nothing to say to you," said Augustine, his voice low.

"That's not necessarily true. You could start by saying 'I'm sorry, Governor, for betraying you and Kalos because I thought my boneheaded actions would help me get into my girlfriend's pants sooner.'"

"See, _that's_ not necessarily true," retorted Augustine. "I'm not sorry. I did what I thought was right after trying to talk her into waiting failed."

"And you had your _derriere_ handed to you in a battle, in front of your darling Champion no less," sneered Teleurac.

"She has mispronounced scientific terms in front of me. My pride is not wounded." Augustine shrugged.

Teleurac narrowed his eyes, looking upon Augustine's face with a scheming scrutiny.

"Are you going to send me to prison, Governor?" asked Augustine.

"_Non_, _je ne pense pas,_" said Teleurac, running a hand over the top of his bald head. "Unfortunately, I need you. So . . . your leash will be much tighter from now on."

A _boom_ was heard in the distance, followed by the roars and cries of Pokemon.

"Looks like they've broken through one of our little barricades," noted Teleurac. "I doubt they'll get far, though. Ah, Professor! Did I ever thank you for what you have done for my Aggron?" The Governor gazed down at the Mega Ring on his finger.

"No, but being thanked for allowing you to steal one of my Mega Stones is a first," said Augustine.

Teleurac shook his head, then gazed at the closed door. The Pokemon outside roared again, and the room shook as one of them crashed into something. "Unbelievable. It's been three years, and people still hate us. They've evidently not forgotten, and a short video was all it took for them to go ballistic . . . I have quite the mess to clean up."

"Were you involved in Team Flare three years ago?" inquired Augustine.

"I was," replied Teleurac.

"Then you should know why people still hate you so much. You tried to destroy Kalos back then . . . and I saw the plans to build those cannon towers. Are you going to try to destroy Kalos again?" Augustine continued, his tone accusing and haunted.

"I'm trying to save Kalos!" Teleurac snapped, gesturing harshly towards the door. "The land itself, its people, and its Pokemon. Do you really think I wanted this? Violence, fear, hatred? No! All of that has no place in a peaceful, beautiful world."

Augustine shifted slightly in his chair. The Governor's words sounded too familiar for comfort.

The ground trembled slightly, and Teleurac dialed into his Holo Caster. "What's going on out there?"

_"We got them, sir."_ The image of a female Flare Admin spoke. _"Everyone who tried to get into the facility has been apprehended and are now being hauled off to jail. Their Pokemon have been taken as well."_

"Good! How is Aggron doing?" a satisfied Teleurac responded.

_"Aggron is still going strong. Mega Evolution gave it a huge advantage, I think."_

Teleurac nodded, his eyes glinting with self-assured pride. "I will be out shortly to retrieve my Pokemon. In the meantime, find someone with a Steel-type to fix that hole in the wall . . . . Also, contact police forces in the surrounding cities: Santalune, Camphrier, Coumarine, Laverre, and Dendemille. Have guards outside the Pokemon Centers in those towns at all times. And call Cassius. Have him hack into Serena Carlyle's PC Box, withdraw all Pokemon she has stored away, and hand them over to us."

_"Yes, sir."_

"Finally, nobody enters or leaves Lumiose City until further notice. Anyone who attempts to Fly in will be arrested and their Pokemon confiscated. When rioting dies down, check to see if any corpses have long blonde hair and heads too big for their shoulders."

_"Erm . . . yes, sir."_

When the call ended, Teleurac saw that all the color had drained from Augustine's face.

"Relax, Professor. I was only joking about the corpses. She's no good to me dead . . . sadly, I need her too."

"She won't do anything for you willingly," Augustine reminded him, wishing that Serena would be much quicker than Cassius and the police were.

"It doesn't matter whether or not she's willing. I have everything I need to easily bait her into attempting to come back." Teleurac said smugly, gesturing to the captive Professor.

"In the meantime, I expect you to resume work at the end of your vacation. I think a fitting punishment for this insubordination is to keep you on board, with every move, thought, and word of yours carefully monitored." Teleurac's Holo Caster beeped again.

_"Sir, a whole block on Vernal Avenue was knocked down by some rampaging Rhyhorn, including your favorite café and the Printemparre Apartment building."_ The Flare grunt who had called reported.

Augustine bit his lip. His apartment was in the Printemparre.

"Then neutralize the Rhyhorn, find their Trainers, and stop any looters. And don't bother me again unless it's about Serena Carlyle!" Teleurac hung up, then looked back at Augustine. "Looks like you're without a home. Good thing my penthouse has a guest bedroom."

"I'd rather live on the streets," spat Augustine.

"But if I allowed you to do that, I would not be a very gracious employer or Governor, now would I? Stray Skiddo would make lousy informants, anyway."

Augustine sighed.

"And the other part of your punishment will be to make you an official member of Team Flare. This hatred from the people you speak of? I want you to feel it."

Instead of feeling outraged or saddened, numbness came across Augustine, as if the events of that night were so much that nothing else could really get to him. All that was likely to change was the uniform he wore, trading in his lab coat for red and black attire, since he had already been doing their dirty work for the last two months.

A crooked smile formed on Teleurac's face. "Oh, Augustine, you are finally one of us, among the most powerful and stylish people in Kalos. If only Lysandre were here to see this . . . ."

If those words were a knife, they could have stabbed Augustine in the gut. He thought of his old friend, whose remains were still crushed beneath the rubble under Geosenge. Lysandre had indeed wanted Augustine to join him in the beautiful new world he envisioned, to become his right-hand man in the formation of that world. Augustine had refused, though, when he learned exactly what Lysandre was aiming to do. For Teleurac to act like he succeeded where Lysandre had failed, to be so casual about the man whom Augustine had loved like a brother yet failed to help . . . it renewed a sense of contempt and guilt in him.

Teleurac's Holo Caster beeped yet again.

"I swear, these new recruits," he muttered as he answered the call. It was a police officer. "Yes? . . . erm, who are you?"

"_I am the captain of the Laverre City Police Department, Governor. As guards positioned themselves outside the Pokemon Center, Serena Carlyle began to approach. She saw the guards and ran towards Route 14, and we have a unit in pursuit."_

"Finally, some good news," said Teleurac, side-eyeing Augustine. "Please make sure you catch Serena posthaste. I would hate for her to spend a long, cold night in the swamps."

_"I don't think it will be easy finding her, sir. She is the Kalos League Champion, after all."_

"Yes, but a Champion is nothing without her Pokemon." Teleurac ended the call.

"I do believe you and Serena will be reunited very soon," he said to Augustine. "The sooner the better, because we have machines and devices to rebuild, and having her Mega Evolved Pokemon to power them will work wonders in accelerating our plans."

"Which are . . . ?" Augustine began, thinking that now being an official member of Team Flare would make him privy to this kind of information – and if it would take time to repair the damage he and Serena had done, then maybe there would be sneaky ways to impede that progress.

Teleurac smirked. "Why, saving the world, of course."

* * *

The Governor's penthouse had miraculously survived the ire of rioters. As Augustine was taken there, he kept looking out the car window, surveying what had happened. Now that most of the chaos had subsided, people and Pokemon were working together to clean debris off the streets, administer care to the injured, and put out the remaining embers in ashen ruins that were once homes and business establishments. A group of teenagers were helping a woman carry a Furfrou to a Pokemon Center; this woman's golden blonde hair hung so that it completely obscured her face, and Augustine watched her with intense curiosity and optimism until she pushed her hair back to reveal a thin face and a blotchy birthmark on her cheek. He bit the inside of his lip, careful to not let Teleurac see him react from the front seat, and then sighed when he saw his lab was still standing.

Once at the penthouse, Teleurac escorted Augustine inside and then left after saying "Make yourself at home," locking the door behind him. Augustine peered through the peephole in the door to find two Team Flare grunts keeping watch outside, and he let out a huff. He dragged himself through the penthouse, which was lavish and luxurious while still sporting eco-friendly lights and furnishings, becoming acquainted with his new prison disguised as a home. After passing the kitchen in all of its stainless steel glory, he found a room which was rather empty aside from neatly-made queen size bed; he assumed it was the guest bedroom. He practically fell onto the bed and instantly succumbed to an uneasy sleep.

When he woke up several hours later, he groaned when he saw that he was still in Teleurac's penthouse. Everything that had happened in the last eighteen hours was so surreal to him; it had to be a dream. He should have woken up the morning of Christmas Eve to find himself at Serena's apartment, in her bed, with her curled up in his arms. Instead, he had slept away what was supposed to be their first Christmas together while trapped in Teleurac's penthouse; on top of that, her mother was probably wondering where they were.

He went back into the living area and looked out the window, his mouth gaping open slightly as he took in the sight of the destruction in the city. Smoke was still rising from burned buildings, people and Pokemon were digging through rubble, and arrests of unruly citizens were continuing. The train station was in view, and the whole western end of the structure had been reduced to a pile of bricks and stone. One of the stray Skiddo nudged at the head of another Skiddo, which was lying on the ground as rubble covered the rest of its body. After watching that Skiddo's futile attempts to rouse its companion, Augustine turned away and slumped onto the couch, staring at the television mounted on the wall as tears slid down his cheeks. A life goal of his was to reunite both of those Skiddo with their original Trainer or otherwise find a new home for them . . . now that goal would never be realized.

Why she had to call Alexa _then_, he thought, trying not to be too angry with Serena. In fact, why did she have to do any of the things she did last night? How hard would it have been to stop and make a plan instead of just winging it? And why didn't he try harder to make her do so? Also, why didn't he try harder when Grant gave him rock climbing lessons? Knowing how to climb seemed like a useful skill right now; he could open that window, climb down from thirty or so stories, and sneak out of the city somehow to go find Serena.

After realizing that a mental beat-up of himself wouldn't help anyone or anything, Augustine grabbed the remote control off the coffee table in front of him and turned on the television to a news channel. Malva was interviewing Paulette, a sales clerk at Boutique Couture who had heroically saved a toddler and that toddler's pet Azurill from angry rioters.

"Your bravery is inspiring, Paulette," Malva said, using her best generic journalist voice. "It is unbelievable that such things could happen here in Kalos, and on Christmas Eve no less."

"I know," agreed Paulette in a flat tone. She was still wearing her work uniform, but it was disheveled, her hair was untamed and wispy, and there was dirt and sweat all over her face.

"What do you think of people that can't take a holiday from stirring up conflicts, especially ones that lead to riots and destruction like Lumiose has never seen before?" Malva continued, pushing the microphone closer into Paulette's face. Paulette gave Malva a testy glance.

"Usually, I would be annoyed and angry, but I saw Serena's Holo footage on the internet. She was trying to warn us about –"

The broadcast instantly cut to a commercial break. Augustine rolled his eyes. How in the world was Teleurac, Malva, or anyone else going to cover anything up? If only he could get a platform to speak, then Kalos would know everything he knew. If barely thirty seconds of video where the Team Flare insignia was only briefly shown could get people riled up, he could only imagine how they would react to his account of the work he was doing for them.

At the end of the commercial break, the broadcast showed Malva standing in front of Boutique Couture by herself. Paulette was nowhere to be seen.

"Now, Governor Teleurac will give an address regarding last night's events."

The shot jumped to Teleurac, who was sitting at his desk in his office, staring straight into the camera. His face was perfectly grim and serious.

"Good afternoon, citizens of Kalos," Teleurac began. "I hoped to open by wishing everyone a _Joyeux Noel_, but that cannot be the case, especially here in Lumiose City. Instead, I must clear the air about a matter of highest importance." He paused to take a deep breath, perhaps to gather his thoughts.

"There is no point in hiding the truth anymore. Team Flare is once again active in Kalos, and I am its new leader. I regret that we had to conceal ourselves, but otherwise I believe that I would not have had the privilege to serve as this great region's Governor. Today's Team Flare wants to take the world in a much different direction than what we attempted to do three years ago. We hope to solve the world's problems through mutual cooperation and peaceful means, rather than through mass murder."

Augustine scoffed. What a liar, he thought as he recalled the models of cannon towers he had seen.

"I am very sorry for Team Flare's actions in the past. It is my wish that you, the good citizens of Kalos, would keep an open mind regarding myself and my administration, instead of giving in to any prejudices you may still harbor . . . like some already have. Serena Carlyle's feelings towards us are understandable, but her actions last night cannot be excused. She acted rashly, refused to hear me out when I tried to reason with her, and now innocent people and Pokemon in Lumiose City have paid the price for what she did. Right now Serena is an enemy of Kalos; as the region's League Champion, she is capable of anything and could be very dangerous. Until she is apprehended, nobody will be allowed to enter or leave Kalos, and travel to and from Lumiose City will be restricted. If she is watching right now, I ask her to stop and rethink the events of the past eighteen hours, and to come to me peacefully. I am willing to reopen the dialogue between myself and her so we can reach an understanding. Nothing would disappoint me more than if she let her personal biases and blind hatred get in the way of progress for Kalos."

Having had enough, Augustine turned off the television. Seething, he stood up, looked down at his shaking hand that was holding the remote control, and he clenched his teeth and shook his head. He resolved to make Teleurac regret keeping him around, and on impulse he hurled the remote control at the television, creating a spray of jagged cracks in the screen.


	17. Chapter 17

**SEVENTEEN**

Serena had lost track of how many days she had spent on the run, moving almost continuously to avoid being found by Team Flare grunts on her trail. She had managed to spend what felt like a couple of days holed up inside the Lost Hotel, until she was found by some hooligans who were likely after whatever reward money was on her head. Many nights were spent sleeping in the cold winter air with sparse shelter, aching and shivering to the bone and lucky if she could sleep for more than an hour at a time. Most time spent attempting to sleep was usually spent with her lying awake, listening to every little sound in her surroundings, paranoid that someone would jump out of nowhere and grab her. Food was a scarcity, and she often resorted to eating berries in trees, which were few in the winter. She now knew that Iapapa Berries did not agree with her; not only was the taste displeasing, they had left her disoriented and unable to walk three steps without falling over.

She had picked up sparse bits of news from listening to traveling Trainers or Pokemon Rangers, enough to find out the key points of Teleurac's address that he gave after the riot. There had been no word about Augustine or her friends, though. She found herself spending more mental energy worrying about them and watching out for her pursuers than figuring out a plan of action.

A plan of action would come, she told herself, but her first priority was figuring out a way to stay alive and not get caught - all without the help of her Pokemon.

* * *

The snap of a twig under something's foot was enough to rouse Serena from her sleep. She poked her head out from her hiding place underneath a pile of brush and dead leaves, holding her breath, and saw that it was merely a group of wild Poochyena walking by, accompanied by a protective-looking Mightyena.

She saw that the sun had risen, its light glistening off the nearby water in the river. After surveying the area once more to see that there were no humans in sight, she crawled out of her hiding spot and walked to the river, trying to comb out a twig that had become tangled in her hair as she went. She knelt down by the river and stopped underneath the bridge, scooped some cold water up with her hands, and drank up the small amount that had not fallen through her fingers. Her hands trembled from the feeling of cold water on her already freezing fingertips, and she shoved them in her jacket pockets in an attempt to warm them up. She rocked back and forth on the spot, keeping her head bowed and trying not to make too much noise as she breathed.

There were no berry trees in sight. And her stomach was growling. Weeds were growing along the riverbank, but none of them looked very edible. A Basculin swam by her, but she let it go. Before, she had minimized the amount of Pokemon meat she ate (abstaining from it became more natural thanks to Augustine's vegetarian cooking), but just a few days before she had caught one and tried to cook it for food. Her meal was interrupted when two Team Flare grunts saw the smoke from the fire she built.

She slowly stood up and looked south, towards Terminus Cave. The cave would be even worse in terms of food and water, but at least she could disappear in there. Another hiding place she had considered was the Pokemon Village, deep in the Winding Woods; there would be water and fruit to eat, but the extra time needed to travel there would also be extra time for Team Flare to track her down.

Up above, the rope bridge began to shake and sway from side to side. Serena froze, holding her breath, waiting for the bridge to stop moving. Once it did, she sidled out from underneath the bridge and ducked behind a bush to watch the group of six Team Flare grunts break open the door of Psychic Inver's house. A few minutes later, four of the grunts had dragged out Inver and his sister, taking them back across the bridge into Anistar City, ignoring the cries of protest from the two siblings.

A pit grew in her chest. She and those siblings had been friendly; in fact, anytime she passed through this route in the past, she would stop and have an Inverse Battle with Inver. Were they being arrested just because they knew her? Had they been suspected of giving her shelter and a hiding place? She continued to watch the house for a while as the remaining two Team Flare grunts went in and out, telling each other that nothing suspicious had been found in the house but it would be a good idea to hold the siblings for questioning anyway.

If only she had her Pokemon, she thought.

The Flare grunts said something else to each other that Serena couldn't understand; from there, they turned and went in opposite directions. One went back across the bridge into Anistar, and the other went on into Terminus Cave. Deciding now would probably be a good time to move on, Serena dashed back up the river to the rock formation she had used to climb down to the riverbank, and climbed up. She then sprinted across the bridge, looking in all directions she could turn her head to make sure nobody else was around. In her peripheral vision she saw something red, so she jumped behind Inver's house, tilting her head out slightly to watch another pair of Flare grunts pass by on their way to the bridge.

"So how many do we have to catch to make up for what we lost on Christmas Eve?" one of the grunts asked his companion.

"I think he wanted anywhere from fifty to a hundred," said the other grunt. "If we were out at Azure Bay right now, though, we'd probably be bringing in a couple hundred for him. Plenty of Pokemon in the sea, you know . . . ."

Once the grunts had crossed the bridge, Serena craned her neck out even farther to look out at Terminus Cave. The mine tracks laid out had grass and weeds growing all over them, and two wild Lairon were fighting over a rock. So much for that hiding place, she thought grudgingly.

Her gaze drifted farther south, towards Couriway Town, and she thought of how easy it would be for her to just keep going and evade capture for another day . . . which would also be another day of not saving anyone. Actually helping any of the Pokemon inside of the cave would be a challenge, but she at least wanted to see what was Team Flare was up to.

* * *

Serena had only been to Terminus Cave once before, mainly to explore and see what types of Pokemon lived there. There were stories of a great monstrous Pokemon living deep within the bowels of the cave, but she never found it. With any luck, Team Flare wouldn't find it either.

She slunk her way through the cave, ducking behind large rocks and stalagmites to avoid detection by Flare grunts that were moving about in pairs. When one of them said something about regrouping at the main site, she followed that grunt and his companion from a distance, utilizing her preferred hiding spots as needed. At one point, while crouching behind a boulder, her stomach growled again, louder than before; she held perfectly still and clutched her stomach, anxiously wondering if the grunts had heard it.

"You hear something?" she heard one of the grunts ask his companion. Her heart raced.

After a second of silence, the other grunt answered. "Nope."

When she heard footsteps again, Serena exhaled slowly and quietly. After craning her head around to make sure that they were walking again, she continued to follow them.

The Flare grunts wound their wave through the cave, down stairs, across rope bridges (which Serena bypassed by merely climbing down cliffs) and through narrow corridors until they reached the lowest level of the cave, where a larger group of Flare operatives standing around a rusty, dilapidated mine cart at the bottom of a shallow pit. Serena found a tall, wide rock formation and crouched behind it so she could observe what they were doing.

Two Admins stood at a table, poring over papers and discussing the items with one another. Grunts scooped up some Pokeballs from one metal bin, spread out, used their Pokemon to weaken the wild ones living in the cave before capturing them, and placing the filled Pokeballs in another metal bin.

One grunt was working on catching an entire group of Noibat with the help of her Emolga. Serena watched as the last remaining Noibat, having just been struck by a Shock Wave, sent a feeble Air Cutter flying towards its opponent. Having already received damage from fighting other Pokemon, Emolga was fainted by that attack. The grunt recalled her Pokemon, and Noibat flew away, weak and unable to maintain a stable flight pattern.

Noibat dropped to the ground, right next to Serena. Wings drooping at its side, it looked over Serena, scooting a little closer to her upon realizing she wore blue and purple (no matter how dirty) rather than red or black. It let out a feeble chirp, but Serena shushed it.

"Be quiet," she whispered, shifting to lay on her stomach so she could be at eye level with the small Pokemon, "Or they'll find you again." Her eyes glanced downward, and she identified that the Noibat was male. Noibat nodded in understanding, then hung his head, mouth sinking into a frown and eyelids lowering.

"Was that your whole family they got? . . . I'm really sorry," continued Serena soothingly. She reached out a hand to pat Noibat on the head, but he shrank back. She pulled her hand away. The Noibat squeaked out a small cry of grief, and Serena didn't bother to quiet him.

Not knowing what else to do for or about Noibat, Serena resumed her watch of Team Flare. The Admins nodded in agreement about something, and then called out to all the grunts to grab the remaining empty Pokeballs and follow them somewhere. Two grunts picked up the bin of empty balls, and the rest of them followed the Admins to the southern end of the cave, clumsily navigating ledges and cliffs until they all ascended to an upper level of the cave. When they were all gone, Serena sprang up and clamored down to the mine cart, stopping at the table covered with maps and papers.

The first thing to catch her attention was a box of granola bars. She glanced over her shoulder in the direction that the Flare members had gone, and then she grabbed a granola bar, ripped off the packaging, and bit off a large chunk. The bar dried out her mouth, but she didn't care; it was something to munch on other than barely-filling, sour tasting berries. Once she finished that bar, she ate another one, and then another, until there was only one left. She stashed in her jacket pocket for later.

Lying next to the box of granola bars was a Hyper Potion. She put that in her pocket as well, planning to use it to treat Noibat when she was done here.

There was a map of Terminus Cave spread out on the table, with rocks on each corner to weigh it down. A star was drawn in one place, with the caption "WORK HERE." Serena assumed that alluded to her current location, where they had been catching Pokemon. Another segment of map showed a chamber with a central hub and four dead-ended passageways extending from it. In the center of the hub, written in bright green ink, was the letter Z.

Somewhere from above, she heard a fearsome roar that came from some Pokemon she could not identify. It was probably the monstrous one rumored to live in the cave – and Team Flare had found it. Serena had heard its name before – it began with the letter Z, of course – but she couldn't figure it out, and it wasn't even on the tip of her tongue.

The rest of the papers on the table were information about the various species of Pokemon found in the cave, as well as contact information for Flare Admins supervising Pokemon catching operations in other areas of Kalos. Deciding that the table had no more to offer her, Serena walked around it to the metal bin that contained all of the Pokemon caught so far. She picked up a Pokeball and pressed the catch, sending out the Pupitar inside.

"Go on. Get out of here!" she said to Pupitar, waving her hand at it in a shooing motion.

As Pupitar scuttled away, she dropped the now empty Pokeball on the ground and stomped on it repeatedly until she heard a _crack_. She kicked the pieces of Pokeball out of her way, and then the ground shook. She stumbled back, and the edge of the table hit the small of her back. After regaining her footing, Serena scooped more Pokeballs out of the bin and released the Pokemon inside: Ariados, Graveler, Lairon, Shuckle, Sandshrew. She'd reach the other Noibat eventually, she told herself.

The ground shook again, with greater intensity than before. Serena fell on top of the metal bin and held onto it for support until the tremor ended. As she felt a small rock fall on her head, Serena wondered how Team Flare was faring in their fight against that Pokemon. If only she had a Master Ball, she thought. She would walk into that chamber, catch it, and be unstoppable.

Serena stood up and resumed her work of freeing the Pokemon, finally letting loose three Noibat in a row. The three Noibat flew off together, and the one who flew to Serena must have seen them, for she heard him cry out and try to fly after them. However, that Noibat dropped to the ground again, and cried out to the others. The other Noibat kept on flying, though, dodging small stalactites that fell from the ceiling.

Another violent tremor sounded off as Serena ran to Noibat's side. She pulled the Hyper Potion out of her pocket and administered the medicine to the small Pokemon. Noibat screeched vibrantly and rose into the air, just in time for the ground to shake again. Large rocks fell from the ceiling, splitting into pieces on the ground. Serena planted her hands on the ground, bracing herself until the earth was still again. In the distance, she heard people shouting at one another. When one shout of "GO!" was particularly loud, she turned and saw some Team Flare members returning to the area, and she immediately sprang to her feet and ran.

Luckily, she remembered the way she came, but the continued tremors and falling rocks complicated her movement. She almost fell off a rope bridge, finding herself holding on for dear life until she could hoist herself back up and keep going. A cluster of stalactites were shaken loose from the ceiling and sent plummeting down, and Serena dove into a somersault to avoid them. She heard one of the Flare grunts behind her, screaming "HEY! STOP!" but she smirked defiantly. What a fool, thinking she would stop for them, especially when the cave might collapse at any moment.

One stone staircase remained between Serena and the exit, and it was now twenty feet away. She noticed a Golbat flying over her head, staring her down aggressively. At its Trainer's command, Golbat shot supersonic waves from its mouth, but Serena swerved just in time to avoid them. She kept going, maintaining a slight zigzag pattern in her movement, hearing yet not looking to identify the source of a screech and the _whoosh_ of an Air Cutter being hurled. Not even another tremor, several times more powerful than all the previous ones, deterred her, for huge rocks were falling in front of her and she needed to be out of the way before they landed. She dove and somersaulted again to dodge them, the ground greeting her head and shoulders with a blunt pain and her ears filled with the deafening crashes and roars of falling rocks.

Serena continued up those stairs, stopping at the top when she heard muffled cries from humans. Looking back, she saw that the path before her was completely filled with rocks and debris, save for a small hole at the top. She stared at the rocks, dazed and dumbfounded, until the ground shook again and she bolted for the exit.

Once outside, she ran south, stopping at a tree right in front of the entrance to Couriway Town. She slumped against it, breathing heavily, closing her eyes to the sunlight that now felt too extreme. Tremors that felt like major earthquakes inside the cave were minor shakes outside; her first instinct was to clutch the ground the best she could, but she relaxed upon realizing that it wasn't necessary.

Why she had gone in, she wondered. Nothing had really been accomplished. She had found out about Team Flare's plans to catch more Pokemon, likely to sap up their energy and kill them in the process, but what could she do about it? The ones in the cave would break free somehow and just come back with more Pokeballs and catch more Pokemon, including the one of legend.

She finally remembered its name. _Zygarde._

Having decided it was time to move on, Serena rose to her feet and intended to continue south. However, Noibat was in her face, rapidly flapping his wings and chirping congenially at her.

"What are you doing here? I freed your friends," she said.

Noibat chirped and screeched at her, as if he was telling her why he was with her instead of inside the cave with his fellow Pokemon. He then flew in a circle around her head before ascending into the branches of the tree, reappearing with a ripe, plump Oran Berry. He offered it to Serena.

"Thanks!" she said, popping the berry in her mouth. Aside from being a little too bitter, the balance of flavor was almost perfect.

"Go on now. Go give Team Flare hell. Do more than I can. I – I'm worthless, you see."

Noibat's chirps sounded like dissent to Serena.

"Um . . . yeah. I'll be going now," said Serena. She turned away and crossed the road over to the riverbank, where she planned to walk alongside it to avoid going into town and being seen. Behind her, she heard Noibat's wings flap; she looked up to see that he had followed her.

"I don't have a Pokeball for you, so if you're going to come with me you'll have to be quiet."

Noibat nodded in understanding.

Serena walked on the outskirts of Couriway, ducking behind buildings anytime someone wearing red entered her line of sight. She smiled slightly; maybe now she could actually get something done instead of just running and hoping her Pokemon would magically appear again. As she walked on to Route 19, her mind's eye was filled with scenes of her swooping back into Lumiose on the back of a Noivern, battling fiercely against all who stood in her way.


	18. Chapter 18

**EIGHTEEN**

"It was just _gone?_" Teleurac said incredulously to the image of the Admin on his Holo Caster.

_"Y-yes . . . Zygarde was gone by the time we broke through the rocks. Must have caved itself in to gain some time to escape."_

Teleurac let out an exasperated sigh. Shifting in his chair, he reached over for his cup of coffee. "I don't want to see you in person again unless you have Zygarde in a Pokeball. Search the surrounding area, search underground, under every speck of dust if you must." He looked up at Augustine, who was sitting across the breakfast table and lazily playing with the chopped fruit on top of his crepe. "Professor, how much do you know about Zygarde?"

"Legends say it reveals itself when the ecosystem falls into disarray," replied Augustine listlessly. He had once read an account of an explorer who encountered Zygarde in the cave; that explorer had witnessed Zygarde's ability to camouflage itself to avoid detection. ". . . and that's all anyone really knows about it."

"Hmm . . . ." Teleurac scratched his chin as he contemplated his next response. "My last statement still stands. Get to it." He ended the call and stashed the Holo Caster in his pocket before taking a sip of coffee.

"Pardon the interruption, Augustine. Where was I?" he asked as he speared a strawberry with his fork.

"I believe you were telling me about something you found earlier while I was in the shower," said Augustine, keeping his tone flat. A few days after he first came to Teleurac's penthouse, he went back to the ruins of his apartment and found a few items still intact: a painting done by a Smeargle that lived at the lab, a picture of himself and Diantha back in their college days, some CDs, his diary, a frying pan, a picture of himself with Serena, a few articles of his own clothing, and an old college textbook. Everything else was beyond repair. All of them were brought to the penthouse and moved into his guest bedroom, all given their special place therein (the picture of him and Serena was kept under his pillow, since Teleurac didn't know he had it and hopefully would never find out)

"Well, I was reading your diary as I always do when you're otherwise occupied," said Teleurac, watching Augustine spit his coffee back into his cup. "I didn't know you wrote poetry!"

"That's private," hissed Augustine, feeling his cheeks grow warm. He had been living in the penthouse for almost three weeks at this point, and while Teleurac went about as if they were ordinary roommates, Augustine felt suffocated. The two men went to work together in the same car, shared every meal together, went grocery shopping together, Teleurac listened in on Augustine's Holo Caster calls, and even stood outside the door while the Professor used the restroom (like he really had the capability of contacting Serena while answering nature's call) Augustine once met Trevor and his other former students for coffee, and Teleurac even tagged along to that. Instead of a somewhat pleasant evening (as pleasant as it could be when they were living in something resembling a police state and one member of their group was missing) was filled with awkward forced conversation.

It seemed like nothing was sacred anymore, and every time Augustine looked at Teleurac his blood began to boil.

Teleurac chuckled. "How cute, thinking you still have the privilege of privacy. Not as cute as your free verses you scribbled out back in November, though. Don't worry; they'll be our little secret."

* * *

Later that morning, Teleurac assembled all of Team Flare's head scientists for a meeting in a board room in the underground facility. Augustine sat at the Governor's left-hand side, now wearing a long red labcoat instead of his old white one. He had also been given a pair of wide black glasses, similar to what the other scientists wore. The electronic tablet in his hand was supposed to be for taking notes, but instead he had a drawing program open, and he doodled various Pokemon as he listened to the others talk.

"Reconstruction of our energy extractors is coming along nicely. I project we'll have thirty operational units by the end of the month. We'll spend February restocking our energy reserves, and I believe we'll be ready to run tests for Phase One by the beginning of March. Celosia, there was one modification to the device I assigned to you. How is progress on that coming about?"

"Deciphering the original blueprints was a bit of a challenge, but I've figured out what materials are needed to complete it. I'll need to go to Geosenge to retrieve them," stated the purple-haired scientist as she adjusted her goggles.

"Leave as soon as you can. It is _crucial_ that that modification is made." Teleurac ordered.

"Sir, perhaps we should run a smaller scale test before we use the device for its secondary purpose – so, you know, it actually works," Aliana suggested.

"Its _primary_ purpose, you mean." Teleurac snapped. "Phase One is the true secondary purpose."

"Of course, sir," said Aliana meekly.

"Professor, Monsieur Lecroux has spent the past three weeks with you. Has he been able to Mega Evolve that damned Medicham _yet?_" Teleurac addressed Augustine.

Augustine snapped to attention. "No he hasn't. I believe he and Medicham have the necessary strength of friendship between Trainer and Pokemon, and he has the proper Mega Stones, but he is anxious and his sloppy technique never improves. Quite frankly, I'm not the one qualified to teach him good technique."

"_Make him figure it out," _hissed Teleurac. He was silent for a moment. "Perhaps we could call Diantha to help – an accomplished Trainer like her, skilled with Mega Evolution, should be able to help us."

"I'll see when she can come in," said Augustine.

"_Bien,_" said Teleurac as his mouth curved into his crooked smile.

Augustine resumed his doodling, paying close attention to Bryony's delineation of progress on her task, which was overseeing reconstruction of the device underneath Prism Tower. Now that it was the middle of January, most of the damage done by Serena and rioters had been fixed, but she explained in a self-congratulatory way how some components were cut out so that the device could run more efficiently. Just in time for Augustine to finish drawing the nose on his Fennekin sketch, Aliana presented a new design for a cannon tower. This one was taller and sleeker than what he had seen on Christmas Eve, and Aliana expressed hope in having a small-scale working model constructed in the coming week. She ended her presentation by showing a model of a cannon attachment that would go on top of Prism Tower itself.

"Any questions?" said Aliana at the conclusion of her presentation.

"Yes," said Augustine, loud and clear. "Who are we shooting at with these cannons?"

"Nobody . . . yet. This is just part of an initiative to bolster our regional defenses," explained Aliana.

"I understand," said Augustine, stunned and quizzical, "but turn Prism Tower into a weapon? For what? People are not going to be happy about this."

"As Aliana said, it's all for defending our great city. Someone will consider us an enemy worth attacking soon enough, just because of how we label ourselves," said Teleurac. "With any luck, we won't actually have to fire them."

* * *

A quick call revealed that Diantha was available to come to Augustine's lab that very afternoon. She, Augustine, Teleurac, and Bernard Lecroux all assembled in the indoor battle arena on the lab's underground level. Diantha entered the arena, greeting Augustine and Bernard and wrinkling her nose and wincing slightly after Teleurac took her hand and kissed it.

Once Bernard got over being starstruck by Diantha's presence, he let Medicham out of its Pokeball. Augustine got to work setting up the machine and computers he used to record data on Pokemon whenever they performed tests in this arena, glancing out of the corner of his eye from time to time to see if he needed to bail Diantha out of another uncomfortable situation.

"It is just splendid that you could join us today, Madame," Teleurac said suavely to Diantha.

"My pleasure," Diantha returned stiffly.

"There was actually a matter of business I hoped to discuss with you. As I am sure you are aware, the Kalos Pokemon League is currently without an eligible Champion . . . and I would like to reinstate you to the title."

"Really?" asked Diantha, pretending to be intrigued and pleased, but Augustine saw the reluctance flash across her face.

"_C'est vrai, ma belle_. Kalos needs a Champion with beauty, grace, poise, _maturity_ – all qualities that you have in spades. We can discuss details of this over dinner tonight. What time shall I retrieve you?"

Diantha shook her head. "Governor, I am flattered. You say nothing _but_ flattery. And yet, if I am once again Champion, this is news I will be celebrating with my dear Phoebe."

Augustine glanced up as she spoke, in time to see the look of shocked disappointment on Teleurac's face. He stifled a chuckle, then returned to positioning one of the machine's disc-shaped sensors so that it faced the center of the arena. Diantha must have started her relationship with Phoebe when he wasn't paying attention.

"Ah, you're seeing someone? That's wonderful, I suppose . . . surprised I haven't heard of it yet."

"She moved here from Hoenn shortly before Christmas, and I only met her last week. Anyway, enough about my personal life." She pulled a Pokeball out of her purse and tossed into the air, followed by her Gardevoir emerging in a flash of white light. While Diantha gave Bernard a brief, simple lecture about how best to conquer nerves, Augustine continued calibrating his machine, making sure the sensors were set to pick up wavelengths given off by Psychic-type moves. His mind flashed back to when Serena was in this space, allowing him to gather data on her Pokemon. It was only in October, yet it seemed like three lifetimes ago. He looked up when pink light began radiating from Diantha's Mega Charm, which was followed by light emanating from Gardevoir's Mega Stone. One explosion of light later, Mega Gardevoir stood majestically in their midst.

"Magnificent," Teleurac breathed, his eyes wide in awe. His Holo Caster beeped, and he answered it. Nobody's holographic image popped up; rather, the display showed the generic smiley face of an anonymous caller.

_"Hello? Have I reached Governor Teleurac?"_ the voice belonged to a man, who was speaking with urgency.

"This is he. Who are you?"

_"Excellent! Sir, I require just thirty seconds of your time. No – three minutes. Thirty perhaps! I am an officer of the International Police, with the codename of Looker. It has come to my attention that there is a threat to the peace in Kalos, and I feel the obligation to investigate. I am calling to ask your permission to cross the border into Kalos and look into this most pressing matter."_

"A 'threat to the peace?' To whom are you referring?" asked Teleurac suspiciously.

_"I heard that Team Rocket was active in Kiloude City. My former protégé and successor at the Looker Bureau, Emma, requested my help in snuffing them out."_

Teleurac rolled his eyes, then made eye contact with Augustine. He nodded his head towards the Holo Caster and mouthed "He's fooling nobody." Augustine briefly wondered if Emma was still busy following the bogus trail laid out for her.

"I had all communication between Kalos and the outside world shut down. How is it you are calling me, and where are you now?" the Governor pressed.

"_I am currently in Unova, and communication devices belonging to International Police officers are protected from silencing orders such as yours," _answered Looker testily.

There was a beat of silence before Teleurac spoke again.

"You did a fine job training Emma, Mr. Looker. She is the finest private investigator in Lumiose City. This Team Rocket case is taking a little longer than any of us anticipated, but your help is not really necessary. Emma can handle it herself."

Augustine missed the next part of the conversation; his attention was stolen by bright pink light swirling around Bernard's Medicham. Diantha was standing behind him, saying words of encouragement, and watched proudly as the light exploded to reveal Mega Medicham.

"I did it!" Bernard exclaimed, slapping a hand to the top of his dark, short-haired head. "Did you see that, Professor Sycamore?" he continued excitedly, turning to Augustine and pointing at his Pokemon. His eyes were wide with awe and pride.

"Yes. Excellent work!" replied Augustine, his own face breaking into a grin. Even if it was for a less-than-benign purpose, watching a first-time Mega Evolution filled him with joy. "Now, I want you and Medicham to have a battle with Diantha and Gardevoir, just so you can get a feel of working with your Pokemon while Mega Evolved. Try to use Psychic-type moves only, please." He shifted his focus to Diantha. "Go easy on him."

His joyful feeling went away when he heard Teleurac's next words to Looker.

"You are not welcome in Kalos, Mr. Looker. Not now, and perhaps not ever. Did you really think you could call me unannounced, lie to me about why you want to come back, and expect to get your way? I am not a forgetful man. Dr. Xerosic is in prison because of you, and you are one of Serena Carlyle's allies. If I catch you trying to enter Kalos, or if you even try to contact anyone here again, I will send my operatives after you." He hung up and thrust the Holo Caster back into his pocket, then turned his attention to the battle between Diantha and Bernard. Gardevoir launched one last powerful, blinding Moonblast that fainted Medicham.

"I thought I told you to go easy on him!" said Augustine jokingly.

"It's all right, Professor, really," Bernard piped up. "How'd I do?"

"You did very well!" Diantha said encouragingly as she recalled Gardevoir.

"Perhaps, but he's not here to battle his Pokemon," said Teleurac coolly. Augustine glared at him briefly, then inspected the numbers generated by his computer during the battle.

"The raw data for Medicham looks good," he commented, scanning the display on the computer monitor. "Once I do some statistical analysis, I'll know how it compares to the numbers I already have on file, and whether or not it will be worth considering future tests with this Medicham." It was time to remember those careless mistakes he made in his university statistics class, he told himself.

"Let me see." Teleurac crossed over to where Augustine stood, leaning over the Professor's shoulder and scanning the numbers. Augustine stepped away slightly, not wanting the Governor in his personal space.

"Of course, I'll want to capture several sets of data," added Augustine, stepping around his equipment and approaching Bernard. "Go upstairs to the second floor and have Cosette heal Medicham. While you're gone, I'll have some targets set up for Medicham to physically attack, as well as a larger sensor for Psychic-type moves. We'll do maybe three or four runs before we're done for the day, all right?"

"Sure," said Bernard, still visibly hyped. With a spring in his step, he exited the arena and went to the elevator.

Teleurac's Holo Caster beeped again. When it saw that President Oria was calling him, he looked at Diantha and pointed to the door; she nodded and did not hesitate to scurry out of the arena. Augustine remained to work on data analysis, finding places to create small errors in math that would drastically affect the end results. He also listened in on Teleurac's conversation.

"Ah, President Oria! We haven't spoken since before Christmas! How are you doing?"

_"Yes, only because Looker just now showed me how to bypass your Holo Caster restrictions on my own device."_ Oria did not sound like she was in a good mood. "_And don't give me that polite 'it's-good-to-see-you' malarkey. I suspected something was going on with your administration the moment you were elected, and now I know I'm right."_

"Just what do you plan to do about it?" asked Teleurac, dropping his false congeniality.

"_For starters, I will grant asylum to any Kalosian citizen who wants it."_

"And how do you plan to inform my constituency of such a generous act?" Teleurac asked, cocking an eyebrow. "And how will you ensure that people can actually take advantage of your generosity, when I have oceans, skies, and land borders patrolled constantly so that nobody can leave Kalos?"

Oria's face hardened, her eyes narrowing into an icy glower.

_"Governor, you and your administration are not only a threat to your own people, but I believe you endanger the other regions. I don't care how you want to present yourself as the new, reformed Team Flare. And if the people of Kalos can't find a way to help themselves be rid of you, I will. You will be child's play compared to Team Plasma."_

"Was that a threat?" Teleurac sounded amused, yet taken aback.

_"Perhaps it was."_

"Well, Madame President . . . should you make any attempt to fulfill that 'threat,' I will consider it an act of aggression, and my retaliation will be tenfold of what you give me!"

"_I know a Trainer who befriended the legendary Pokemon Reshiram, a very powerful Dragon. There's also another Trainer out there somewhere who has the legendary Zekrom, also a powerful Dragon. Zekrom and Reshiram are extremely dangerous together. Your move." _Oria ended the call.

"And I will steal those Pokemon from their Trainers and use them against you," Teleurac muttered angrily. He looked over to Augustine. "Why does Unova feel like it needs to be the Six Regions' police, making sure everyone behaves according to _their_ standards?! Opposing me and everything I'm working to accomplish - she practically declared war on us!"

Augustine did not respond. He imagined that there was soon going to be a use for those cannon towers, and the thought of it filled him with dread.

"You wanted to know who I want to save Kalos from, Professor? Well, now you have your answer."


End file.
